Even Angels Fall
by Lavender Zen
Summary: James recieves threatening notes from the Dark Lord and runs away to keep his friends safe...only to be captured. Voldemort reminisces of his past, his childhood, leaving James believing Even Angels Fall. **Complete**
1. Summer Lovin'

1 A/N: This is the sequel to Free Falling. You will not be lost if you have not read Free Falling.but you can read it anyway! Hope you enjoy it! Second chapter will be up soon. ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or his wizarding world. All characters/places belong to JK Rowling.  
  
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6 Even Angels Fall  
  
Chapter One  
  
Summer Loving'  
  
  
  
Lily Evans stood in front of her full-length mirror, examining her five- foot-eight curvaceous figure. She shook her head and walked back to her closet to pick out another outfit. She pulled clothes off of hangers and threw them onto her bed in ferocious outpours until she found the perfect short black skirt, white shirt, and jean jacket.  
  
"Mum," Lily called down the stairs.  
  
Her mother, Emalyn Evans, answered back with, "Yes, Lily, darling?"  
  
"I'm completely nervous," Lily said, entering the kitchen where her mother was making pancakes. "I'm a wreck! Do I look all right?"  
  
"You look adorable, dear," Emalyn replied, smoothing Lily's auburn hair. "What are you so nervous about? Is it meeting James's parents or staying at his house for two weeks?"  
  
"Oh, I'm with James and the rest of them every minute of the day when I'm at school; they've seen me at my worst. I'm just nervous about making a good impression on his parents."  
  
"Darling, you're a wonderful girl and the Potters will be delighted to meet you."  
  
Lily sat down next to her older sister, Petunia, to eat some pancakes.  
  
"Petty, are you excited to start your last year at school? You're Head Girl too. I'm so proud to call you my sister."  
  
"Whatever," Petunia muttered. Deep down inside, Petunia loved Lily, but on the outside, she hated her. Lily refused to believe that it because of jealousy.  
  
Lily was a witch-literally-about to go into her fifth year at Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. There she had three best friends: James Potter, whom was also her boyfriend, Sirius Black, and Remus Lupin.  
  
For the last two weeks of summer holiday, Lily was staying at the Potters' house along with Sirius, Remus, and Peter Pettigrew. Then Mr. and Mrs. Potter would take the five of them to King's Cross Station to Platform 9 ¾, where they would ride on the Hogwarts Express to the gigantic castle they called school.  
  
"Are you ready?" Emalyn asked.  
  
Lily took a deep breath, then nodded.  
  
* * *  
  
James paced the sitting room floor in front of his parents, Alan and Geness Potter, and his three friends: Sirius Black, Remus Lupin, and Peter Pettigrew.  
  
"James, darling, sit down," Geness said, her blue eyes trailing back and forth with her son.  
  
"I can't," James replied.  
  
"What are you so nervous about?" Alan asked.  
  
"You certainly can't be nervous about Lils staying here; you've spent the last five years with her."  
  
"No, it's not that, I guess," James said, finally sitting next to Remus on the sofa. "I guess I'm just nervous about meeting her parents, that's all."  
  
"You'll be fine, James," Alan reassured his son. "Just be the little gentleman I know's in there somewhere."  
  
They all laughed, but quickly stopped when the doorbell sounded.  
  
James stood up and walked down the long hall to the front door. The others followed. James opened the door and has his breath taken away.  
  
Lily stood on the doorstep, the summer sun shining behind her, making her dark-red hair shine. Her emerald eyes were alight with happiness and nervousness. Her tanned skin glistened in the evening light.  
  
"Hi, James," Lily said excitedly.  
  
James was in a trance.  
  
"It's been two months since I last saw you and I never thought you could become even more beautiful," James spouted rather poetically. He wrapped his arms around Lily's waist. In return, Lily threw her arms around James's neck.  
  
"You've never said anything like that to me, Thomas," Emalyn Evans said.  
  
"I've no idea where he gets it," Geness said. "Heaven knows he doesn't get it from his father." Geness beamed at Emalyn and Thomas while Alan scowled.  
  
Lily hugged and kissed her friends while the Potters and the Evans introduced themselves.  
  
"You will stay for a glass of brandy, won't you?" Geness asked.  
  
"Well, Petunia is out in the car; she didn't exactly want to be here." Emalyn said.  
  
"Bring her in," exclaimed Alan. " I bet she'd be delighted to try a butterbeer."  
  
"I'm not so sure, Mr. Potter," Lily said.  
  
"Please, call me Alan. Petunia would love to meet all these handsome young men."  
  
"Like I said, I'm not so sure. But I'll get her anyway."  
  
"Splendid," exclaimed Geness.  
  
Lily went back to the car to get Petunia. Sirius, who was crazy about any Muggle contraption, followed.  
  
Petunia was sitting in the car, her arms crossed tightly across her chest, and glaring at Lily and Sirius.  
  
"What do you want?" Petunia snarled as soon as Lily opened the door.  
  
"Petty darling, do come inside or you'll hurt our feelings," Lily said in a sickening-sweet voice just to torment her elder sister. "You can try a butterbeer."  
  
"Butterwhat? There is no way in hell I am going inside that house with you freaks. I'll be poisoned or something."  
  
Sirius seemed to take this as a personal insult, which was rather unlike him.  
  
"Freaks, you say?" he said. "Poison, you say? You have no idea what it is like for us. You think we've got it easy, but we don't. We're always being persecuted by people like you. Only a hundred years ago were people still burning other human beings for witchcraft."  
  
Petunia glared at Sirius. Sirius glared back with his coal-colored eyes.  
  
"That's what it all comes down to," he continued. "We are all human beings. We all have hearts and feelings. Don't you understand that?"  
  
"Go get Mum and Dad, Lily; I want to leave."  
  
"Certainly, Petty dear," Lily said, in not the sweetest tone. She grabbed Sirius's hand and dragged him back up to the Potters large mansion.  
  
"What the hell is her problem?"  
  
"I told you, she hates me and everything to do with me."  
  
"No, I don't think it's as deep as that. She's probably jealous. Did you see the look in her eye? She doesn't hate you-she loves you, I can tell. I just think she's hurt that her sister and best friend left her for something better."  
  
Lily was silent the rest of the way up the long drive and to the sitting room where the adults were sipping glasses of brandy.  
  
"Mum, Petunia wants to go home; she won't come in."  
  
Emalyn pursed her lips.  
  
"Well, I guess we could go," she said.  
  
"We should be going anyway," Thomas said. "It'll take ages to get back home."  
  
"Thank you for bringing Lily over," Geness said.  
  
"No problem. Thank you for letting her stay and taking her to the train station."  
  
"No problem at all, dear. We'll see you later."  
  
"Bye Mummy, bye Daddy," Lily said, hugging and kissing her parents. She waved and blew a kiss to Petunia as they backed out of the drive.  
  
"Let's have some dinner, shall we?" Geness said, wrapping her arm around Lily's shoulder and turning towards the kitchen.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily stood in the bathroom of the guest bedroom, brushing her teeth. She was thinking about her upcoming sixth year at Hogwarts and how much fun they all would have. But would things be different between her and James?  
  
She didn't have time to ponder about it when someone grabbed her around her waist while she was wiping the water off her chin.  
  
Lily squealed and quickly turned around to see a gorgeous man with unruly black hair and a mischievous smile holding her tight.  
  
"James!" Lily exclaimed. "It's after midnight; you should be on the third floor in you room. And look at me; I'm in the flimsiest night gown I own."  
  
"I've seen you a lot more naked than that," James teased. Lily's cheeks went pink. "Besides, I missed you and I wanted to be alone with you again." He nuzzled into her neck and breathed the scent of her hair.  
  
"I've missed you too," replied Lily, melting into the warm embrace. Lily pulled back and looked at James with a teasing glint in her eyes. "But Sirius, Remus, and Peter, not to mention your parents, are all one floor up."  
  
"We can be quiet."  
  
"No, I really don't think so, if you remember as well as I do," Lily teased back.  
  
A smile spread across James's face.  
  
"So not funny," James said, leaning over and kissing Lily.  
  
"You really should go," Lily commented. "What if someone catches you in here?"  
  
"I'll tell them I was sleepwalking."  
  
"And you unconsciously walked into my room and fell on top of me with your lips pressed to mine?"  
  
"Exactly."  
  
Lily giggled.  
  
"You better go, James, before they come looking for you."  
  
"You always say that," James said, kissing Lily's hairline. "I love you. Sleep well."  
  
"I love you too. See you in the morning."  
  
After James exited the spacious room, Lily blew out all the candles and crawled into the king-sized bed.  
  
Nothing has changed between James and me, Lily thought as she drew the bed hangings closed.  
  
* * *  
  
"Let's go for a walk this afternoon," Sirius suggested one morning. "We can walk through the tropical garden."  
  
"Or the pines," Remus said.  
  
"I've heard there are werewolves in there," Peter squeaked.  
  
"Newsflash, Wormtail," Sirius said, "Remus is a werewolf and when he is in the pines, there is a werewolf in there."  
  
"Besides," Remus commented, "when it isn't a full moon, werewolves have homes; they aren't just wandering around the forests in their human forms."  
  
Peter sheepishly looked down at his eggs.  
  
"We could walk through the flower fields," Lily suggested, giving a sly wink at James that the other three didn't notice. James nodded his head in agreement.  
  
"I wonder if there are any other werewolves in the pines; since the full moon is a week away, they might be here early," Remus thought aloud.  
  
"Hey, I'd like to check into that too," Sirius said. "I've never met another werewolf."  
  
"Plan set," Remus stated. "I've never met another one either."  
  
"I'm not going," Peter said sternly.  
  
"Come on, Wormtail," Sirius said. "The only that'll be there is Remus, I promise. And you're an Animagus for crissakes! Besides, Lily and James need to be alone-we've been here a week and James hasn't gotten any for two months."  
  
James spat out the orange juice he had just taken a sip of. Sirius and Remus high-fived each other with uncontrollable laughter. Peter grabbed a napkin and wiped the backwashed juice off of his face. Lily's face turned bright red.  
  
"What in the holy hell?" James raged apoplectically.  
  
"Relax, James, your parents aren't home," Sirius said, still chuckling. "Admit it."  
  
"Going to the loo," Lily stated in a high-pitched tone. She got up and briskly walked down the corridor to the bathroom.  
  
"Admit it, Prongsie," Remus said, nudging James with his elbow.  
  
"How do you know I haven't gotten any, Padfoot?" James queried.  
  
"Come on, James, I know you haven't; I can tell. Besides we would have heard."  
  
"Yeah, either by gloating or screaming," Remus teased. Sirius high-fived Remus again. James's cheeks turned pink and he smiled widely, which quickly faded when the thought processed.  
  
"Gloating? Screaming?" he questioned. "What-"  
  
"You think we can't tell by that look you get on your face?" Sirius asked. "Do you realize we have ears?"  
  
"What?" James stammered.  
  
Sirius's face showed somberness, but was quickly broken by a handsome smile.  
  
"I'm just giving you shit, James, old boy," he said.  
  
"You really don't-I really don't-"  
  
"The part about the look you get on your face is true; as for the noises, I'm not sure. When I see you and Lils on the Marauder's Map in an odd place I stay a far, far distance away from there."  
  
"I greatly appreciate it," James said sarcastically, throwing a muffin at his best friend. "I'm going upstairs so I don't have to be harassed any more by you three."  
  
"I'll follow," said Sirius.  
  
James got up and walked up the stone staircase to the third floor. Once they were in James's room, Sirius asked, "What's it like?"  
  
James gave Sirius a quizzical look.  
  
"What's what like?" he asked.  
  
"You know what I mean."  
  
"I think I do.but you've had sex before; it's not only me that gets that look on my face."  
  
"No, I mean, what's it like with Lily?" Sirius repeated.  
  
"What's sex like with Lily?"  
  
Sirius shook his head.  
  
"What's it like being in love with Lily?"  
  
"Oh," said James, looking at his best friend. "Sirius, it's the greatest. It's deeper than warm fuzzies. It's just something I can't describe. Have you ever been in love?"  
  
Sirius didn't answer right away, but after a minute of reflecting, he said, "Every time I date a new girl, I think, 'This one will be it', and I always strive to get what you and Lily have, but it never happens. Sure, it's fun and cute and a lot of them have amazing bodies, but it turns out being more of a sex thing after a while."  
  
"You mean, you date the best looking girls throughout Hogwarts only to sleep with them?"  
  
"No, no, it's not like that; they use me. They're the ones who date me to sleep with me. And if they offer, I'm not going to say no; I mean, gorgeous women-would you say no?"  
  
"It'd take a lot, I can tell you that," James said.  
  
"And last year, you said no to Lily when she was under the Fertility Potion and she was begging you to shag her. You have a lot of willpower. Like I said before, Lily's drop dead gorgeous and I wouldn't have been able to turn her down."  
  
"I can't now," James said with a smile. "But at the time I hadn't slept with her and I didn't know what it was like, didn't know what I was missing."  
  
"You mean, you didn't sleep with Britannia?" Sirius asked, looking skeptical.  
  
"What I meant was it was completely different with Lily. With Britannia it was always now, now, now, now; hurry, hurry, hurry; not like this, like this. But with Lily-amazing. It's fun, she's relaxed, I'm relaxed, there's no rush, and there's no right or wrong way," James said.  
  
"You are so blessed to have Lily," Sirius said.  
  
"Sirius, you just need to find the right woman."  
  
A knock came at James's door, followed by Lily entering the room.  
  
"Hi guys," she said cheerfully, clearly unembarrassed now. "Sounds like you were having an important conversation. I didn't interrupt anything did I?" The boys shook their heads. "Are you ready to go, James?"  
  
"Just give me a second, I need to put on my shoes."  
  
"Should I have a House-elf pack us a lunch?"  
  
"That'd be great. I'll be down in a minute."  
  
Lily left the room, closing the door behind her. James put his shoes on in silence, said goodbye to Sirius, who was looking at a roll of parchment James had written pranks on for the upcoming year.  
  
"He is so lucky," Sirius commented to himself after James left the room. He sighed and also exited the room looking for Remus and Peter.  
  
* * *  
  
"How 'bout here?" James asked Lily.  
  
"No, how about over to there," Lily said, pointing to a patch of daisies.  
  
"No, I think we should go over to the sunflowers."  
  
"This is so awesome that your mum and dad own all this land. Did they plant all these acres of flowers themselves?"  
  
"Well, my mum is an Herbologist, so she knows how to take care of plants. As for them actually doing manual labor and planting them, I don't know, it's been here as long as I can remember. Same with the tropical gardens and the pines and everything else we have here." He looked at Lily. "Sunflower field, is it?"  
  
"If you can catch me," Lily said giggling. She turned abruptly to her left and ran towards the golden flowers. James raced after her.  
  
Once Lily reached the patch of sunflowers, she dropped to her hands and knees so she was hidden and waited for James to come past.  
  
"Lily," she heard James call from a distance.  
  
"Catch me," Lily called back.  
  
"I'm coming to get you!"  
  
Lily heard footsteps rushing towards her. When she saw James in front of her, she sprang. James landed on his back with an oof, and he looked into the emerald eyes and brushed back the russet hair of his captor.  
  
"I should start calling you Tigerlily," James teased. "My Tigerlily."  
  
"Tigerlily, eh?" Lily said. "Interesting." She leaned over and kissed James's soft lips. "I love you, James."  
  
"I love you too," he replied. "No matter what happens."  
  
"Well, I didn't bring you out here in the tall flower fields to talk to you," Lily said.  
  
"Oh, really?" James questioned, arching an eyebrow. "Then what did you bring me out here for?"  
  
"You'll see," Lily said. She got off James, turned around, unbuttoned her shirt and threw it at James. She also took off her skirt and threw it at James, then took off running, full of giggles.  
  
"What the--?" James exclaimed. He jumped up and ran after Lily, shedding clothing along the way. He came upon a pair of very sexy, silk knickers and a matching bra. "Lily!" he called for the second time that day.  
  
"Come find me," James heard.  
  
He ran in the direction he heard her voice came from and found her thirty seconds later. She was lying on her side, completely naked with a come- hither look in her eye and a sunflower in her hair. She was giggling madly and was motioning for James to go to her.  
  
James stripped himself of the last articles of clothing he had on and went over to Lily and kissed her passionately.  
  
* * *  
  
"Did you hear something?" Peter asked nervously.  
  
"It sounds.like yelling," Sirius said.  
  
Remus burst with laughter.  
  
"It's-it's not another werewolf is it?"  
  
"Far from, Wormtail," Remus said, still chuckling. "Although it does sound like some animal."  
  
Sirius then started laughing.  
  
"Is that what it is? You can hear that?" he asked, shaking with laughter.  
  
"I have extra-sensitive ears, especially when it comes close to the full moon."  
  
"What is it?" Peter asked.  
  
"Is it really what we think it is? " Sirius asked, ignoring Peter. "I mean, I can't hear anything anymore."  
  
"No, they were just yelling back and forth before; now it's more quiet.I'm pretty sure that that's what's going on.."  
  
Sirius and Remus laughed again.  
  
"What's going on?" Peter questioned.  
  
"Nothing, nothing at all," said Sirius, finally catching his breath from all the laughing. "Let's eat our lunch, shall we?"  
  
Remus and Peter nodded. They sat under a large evergreen and pulled out their lunches from the picnic basket.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, they ate an exquisite dinner by soft candlelight rather than the usual torchlight. James's parents had gone to a Quidditch game, which obviously hadn't ended yet.  
  
"Did you find any other werewolves?" Lily asked, taking a bite of roast duck.  
  
"Nope," Remus said. He exchanged a sly glance with Sirius, then said, "But we did hear some rather interesting animals."  
  
"But no luck on seeing anything," Sirius said.  
  
"Oh, too bad," James said, pouring more gravy on his mashed potatoes.  
  
"No, not really, those noises were slightly frightening."  
  
"Slightly?" Peter exclaimed. "I'm never going into the pines again."  
  
"What was it Remus?" James asked. "You have good ears."  
  
"It sounded like homo sapiens," Remus said. Three out of the five teenagers at the table looked completely clueless.  
  
"Please don't tell me what I think you mean," Lily said.  
  
Remus nodded, a twinkle was in his eye and as smirk on his face.  
  
"What are you two talking about?" James asked.  
  
"Muggle things," Remus replied simply. "Science mostly."  
  
"You didn't, did you?" Lily asked again.  
  
"What are homo sapiens?" Sirius asked. "What's the big deal? Remus, you didn't tell me that you heard Muggle creatures called homo sapiens."  
  
"Yes I did," said Remus.  
  
"You told them too?"  
  
"What in the hell are homo sapiens?" James asked.  
  
"I heard it loud and clear," Remus said slyly, a smirk still on his handsome face.  
  
Lily's jaw dropped but was quickly replaced by her deep, throaty laugh. The four Marauders stared at her.  
  
"What's so funny?" James asked.  
  
"I've no idea," Remus said. "I just told her that heard the two of you shagging and now she's laughing."  
  
"You what?" James half shouted.  
  
Lily's laughter rang throughout the stone dining room. It was soon joined by Sirius's hearty laughter.  
  
"What's so funny about Moony here hearing us?" James asked.  
  
Peter started giggling nervously.  
  
"It's just-," Lily said, gasping for breath and wiping her eyes with her napkin. "It's just so hilarious-that-they got an-an earful." Lily burst with laughter once more.  
  
"Actually," Sirius said, subsiding from his laughter, "only Remus got an earful since he has wolf in him."  
  
"What's all that homo sapiens business?" asked James, who seemed very cross. "What the hell are homo sapiens?"  
  
"Homo sapiens, dear, is the scientific term for human being," Lily said.  
  
"Oh that's just nice," James declared.  
  
"Oh come on James, where's your sense of humor?" Lily asked, nudging her sweetheart playfully with her elbow. "Besides, they all know about it anyway."  
  
"How do you know they all know about it?" James asked.  
  
"Oh, James," Lily said in a high-pitched voice. "I know what goes through a guy's head. You don't think Sirius or Remus or Peter can tell that you got lucky by the look you get on your face?"  
  
Remus high-fived Lily.  
  
"You notice the look?" James asked incredulously.  
  
"Of course I do," Lily replied simply. "I've known all of you for six years, I can tell when something is different. And don't think you don't get that look on your face either, Sirius."  
  
"What?" Sirius exclaimed.  
  
"It's true!" cried out Remus. "You try to hide it, but it is impossible to keep it from me."  
  
"What about you Moony?" James asked. "Have you ever shagged anyone? You don't seem to get that look on you face."  
  
"If I have, I'm not liable to tell you guys. Besides, I have a way of hiding it better than you two do."  
  
"Uh, guys.." Lily said. "I'm still here remember? This conversation is getting too personal for my likings. Change the subject."  
  
"Of course we will, Lils," Sirius said. "So, is anyone besides me excited to start school?"  
  
"You? Excited to start school? I can't believe it! Who is she?" Lily queried.  
  
Sirius's cheeks flushed.  
  
"No one," he said quickly.  
  
"Don't lie!" Remus said. "I can feel it."  
  
"Let me guess," Lily said. "It's Shana Lorden of Hufflepuff."  
  
"No," Sirius answered. "Like I said, there isn't anybody."  
  
"Sure there is," said James. "There has to be. Who is it? Come on, you can tell us."  
  
"There is no one!" Sirius said, which sounded more like a bark. He got up from his chair and stalked out of the dining room.  
  
"What was that all about?" Lily asked. "He's never acted that way before."  
  
"There is somebody," Remus said. "There has to be."  
  
"Let's just leave him alone, okay?" James said. He, too, got out of his chair and exited the dining room after his best friend.  
  
Hope you enjoyed it! Don't forget to write a review! I'm open to constructive criticism. ~Lavender 


	2. Letters From the Dark Lord

A/N: Okay...I've changed my mind and I've decided that this is the semi-sequel to Free Falling...instead of the sequel. I hope you all like this chapter. The third chapter will be out soon! Thank you all for the reviews and emails and for waiting patiently. Enjoy! J ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter or anyone within his universe. I do own the plot and all places/names/things you don't recognize.  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Two  
Letters From the Dark Lord  
  
  
Perhaps it was the fact that it was raining made the trip to Platform 9 ¾ gloomy. The crowded platform moved slowly onto the scarlet steam engine.  
  
James, Lily, Remus, and Peter were loading on their trunks when they realized that Sirius had disappeared quite some time ago.  
  
"He couldn't have gone too far," James said, not the least bit worried.  
  
"Do you think he could have gotten lost?" Lily asked, eyes searching out the window for their friend. "I mean, in the Muggle station-you know how he loves those Muggle contraptions."  
  
"No, he went through the barrier with us," Remus said. "He must have gone after a girl or something."  
  
"That sounds like Sirius all right," Peter said.  
  
They all laughed, but little did they know that that's where Sirius really was.  
  
"The train is going to leave soon," Icilyn said, pulling her mouth away from Sirius' warm lips.  
  
"Twenty minutes," Sirius informed her, "is not soon."  
  
Icilyn giggled and tightened her grip around the handsome man's neck. In turn, he tightened his grasp around her delicate waist and drew her even closer to him. She raised her head so their lips could meet again.  
  
"James and the rest of them are probably wondering where I went off to," Sirius commented.  
  
"They don't know?" Icilyn asked.  
  
"They have no clue."  
  
"Is that the way we want to keep it?" the gorgeous Ravenclaw queried.  
  
"For now," Sirius replied between kisses. "Because every time I tell them, they get all happy for me and they start to think that this one is the one. Then it all goes to hell and then starts all over again. This time, I don't want them to jinx me." He paused, kissing the soft skin on her neck. "Besides, it'll be fun this way for a while."  
  
"Good," Icilyn purred, pressing her lips to Sirius' once again.  
  
* * *  
  
"There you are, Padfoot old chap," exclaimed James. "Where've you been?"  
  
"Oh, my trunk tipped over a ways back and I didn't bother telling you guys because it wasn't so bad, but then Mya escaped from her cage only heaven knows how and it took forever to get her back in."  
  
"Uh-huh," said Remus skeptically, looking at Mya in her owl cage and seeing that not one feather had been ruffled.  
  
"Oh hell, there's no room in the overhead compartment. I'm going to find an open one," Sirius said. He turned around and pushed his cart into the corridor and off to another compartment.  
  
"What's wrong with you?" Lily asked Remus, seeing his slight scowl. "And poor Mya..."  
  
"Mya's fine," Remus stated. His friends stared at him. "Sirius lied. For one, if his trunk had turn over, a lot more profanity would be coming out of his mouth. And secondly, I smell women's perfume on him."  
  
* * *  
  
Lily was busy reading one of Poe's short stories when the door to their compartment opened, followed by a boy of sixteen with oily black hair entering.  
  
"What do you want, Snape?" growled Sirius.  
  
Serverus Snape chose to ignore the inquiry He walked over to Lily.  
  
"The Mudblood's looking hot today," he commented. "Did even more growing up over the summer holiday. Even had a growth spurt in her breasts-nice cleavage, by the way," he added, looking Lily up and down and stopping at her chest.  
  
"Why you little -" raged James, jumping onto Snape. Sirius did the same. Peter backed into a corner, watching with wide eyes.  
  
Soon there were a massive amount of obscene words issuing from three male voices.  
  
Lily and Remus looked at each other with the same idea in their heads.  
  
"On the count of three. One, two, three."  
  
"Impedimenta!" the two of them shouted.  
  
Lily and Remus cast the Impediment Curse on Sirius and James, which caused them to slow down so greatly that it seemed they were not moving at all.  
  
"Get off me!" yelled Snape.  
  
He finally realized that he was no longer under attack and pushed James and Sirius to the floor. He stood up and dusted himself off and wiped the blood away from his lips, but it was continuing to bleed. A livid bruise was rising around his left eye.   
  
"Get out," Remus whispered malevolently. Remus pointed his wand at Snape's heart.  
  
"Snape glared at Remus then started trudging towards the door, then stopped, glanced at the motionless James, then turned to Lily and made his big move: He strode over to her, grabbed her butt, then gave her a long kiss.  
  
Lily's eyes widened and she squealed underneath the Slytherin's mouth, trying to push him off, but to no avail, the more she tried, the tighter his grip became.  
  
Remus dropped his wand in shock, which shot out purple sparks, and started.  
  
After a good forty-five seconds, Snape pulled away and smiled cheerily at Lily, ran a hand over her auburn waves, then strode out of the compartment.  
  
"What the hell was that?" Remus asked slowly.  
  
Lily was speechless. She just glared at the door Snape had exited from. She then turned to Remus with a look of fear in her eyes.  
  
Remus opened his arms and enveloped Lily. He could sense that Lily was still disturbed about her kidnapping the year before-she didn't like to be touched by anyone other than her friends and family. Of course, Snape wouldn't have known that, for Professor Dumbledore, the Hogwarts headmaster, had told Lily not to mention anything about her abduction by Voldemort or the prophecies.  
  
Lily started sobbing.  
  
"Shh," Remus whispered, kissing her forehead. "It's okay..."  
  
After a minute of tears, Lily sniffled and said, "Let's take the Impediment Curse off of those two daft pricks. They shouldn't be getting involved with that greasy-haired asshole anyway."  
  
Remus picked up his dropped wand and pointed it in James' and Sirius' direction.  
  
"Finite Incantatem," the two said.  
  
James and Sirius returned to their normal pace but it took them a moment to realize Snape was gone.  
  
"Where the bloody hell did he go?" Sirius raged.  
  
"We put the Impediment Curse on you two to keep you from beating the shit out of Snape," Remus replied, still cradling Lily's waist.  
  
James saw the blood on Lily's lips and the tearstains on her cheeks and rushed over to her. He wrapped his arms around her and asked, "Did you get hurt?"  
  
"Not exactly," Remus answered for her. "But I suspect she'll be scarred for life because the bleeding git kissed her."  
  
"HE WHAT?" James and Sirius yelled simultaneously.  
  
"I'm going to pay him back if it's the last thing I do, that nasty little-"  
  
"Sirius," James interrupted in a warning tone. "Lily's been through enough, she doesn't need to be corrupted anymore."  
  
"I'm sure she wouldn't mind," Sirius replied. "Besides, six years with us is more than enough corruption to be able to listen to the truth about what the git is."  
  
Lily managed a weak smile before kissing James on the cheek and sitting back down to close her eyes.  
  
* * *  
  
Sitting by the fire was what Sirius had missed most about Hogwarts. Of course, there was always a fire going on at his manor near Dublin, but it wasn't the same talking to his house-elf, Ebony. At Hogwarts, he sat by the fire in Gryffindor tower with his friends and talked about anything and everything.  
  
His thoughts were always somewhere else nowadays, and he never had time to sit by the fire with James, Remus, Peter, and Lily. But today was different. It was after the first Quidditch match between Slytherin and Hufflepuff. Hufflepuff was a pushover as usual.  
  
"Did you see the way Frond caught the Snitch?" James was asking.  
  
Lily nodded.  
  
"He looked like he was going to swallow it!" she said.  
  
"Too bad he didn't choke on it, because Slytherin doesn't have a reserve Seeker and when we went up against them, we would have bowled them right over," Sirius said.  
  
"No one can beat our Lizabelle, she's the greatest seeker anyone's ever seen," James said.  
  
"Perhaps..." commented Remus. "But have you ever heard of Charlie Weasley? He's the greatest anyone's ever seen."  
  
"Arthur Weasley's son?" Sirius asked. Remus nodded. "Mum and Dad used to work with him at the Ministry, so I used to play with Bill, who should probably be a first year in the next couple of years. I only met Charlie once - he was three at the time...But I wouldn't have thought little stocky Charlie would be a Seeker."   
  
"He's an amazing Seeker. This past summer before we met at James' house, Mum had to go to the doctor and I was left at the Weasley house. We played Quidditch - Charlie caught the Snitch within five minutes."  
  
"Wow," Lily commented. "If he was three when we were eleven, that means he's only eight years old!. Does he ever say he's going to play for England?"  
  
"Well, his mum said that a few teams have offered to start drafting him, but he doesn't want to play Quidditch, he wants to chase after dragons," Remus informed.  
  
"Speaking of which," Sirius interrupted, glancing at the grandfather clock, "I've got to go talk to Kettleburn about our homework assignment."  
  
"Why don't you just ask Lily?" James suggested. "Lils, darling, what was our homework for Care of Magical Creatures?"  
  
Lily glared slightly.  
  
"If you don't pay attention in class, I'm not going to tell you these things," Lily said.  
  
"No, I need some suggestions about which dragon to write a report on."  
  
"Oh....Well, have fun talking to the one-armed loon," James said.  
  
Sirius nodded to his friends and left the common room.  
  
"That was strange," Lily said. "Yesterday he told me he was writing the report on the Palestinian Waterlurker."  
  
"He's up to something," Remus stated. "And I don't need my werewolf sixth sense to know it."  
  
The four friends just sat in silence, wondering what Sirius could be up to.  
  
* * *  
  
"What took you so long?" Icilyn inquired.  
  
"We were having a heated discussion about Quidditch," Sirius replied.   
  
"Would you like to share the minor details with me?" she asked, a sly smile on her face.  
  
"Why not?"  
  
Sirius leaned over and kissed her on her lips.   
  
"Where's James and the rest of the group?"  
  
Sirius shrugged and put her to his lips again.  
  
After a few minutes of uncontrolled snogging, Icilyn pulled away, her breathing slightly ragged.   
  
"Sirius, do you love me?"  
  
"Love?" Sirius asked in a slightly tense tone. "Well, I think I do. I mean, I like you a lot, but I don't want to jinx us."  
  
"I love you," Icilyn said in a high tone, searching Sirius' eyes for what she wanted to see...waiting to hear those words that she wanted so wanted to hear.  
  
"Icy, I don't know yet. I mean, you're gorgeous, smart, funny, and the best damned kisser, but I just don't know yet."  
  
"Why don't you try proving your love to me?" It was more a demand than a question.   
  
Sirius looked deeply into Icilyn's green eyes. He sighed deeply and thought about what she was asking of him. He kissed her forehead and said, "No, that's not the way to prove your love to someone - I've learned that the hard way. Let's keep it slow."  
  
To Sirius' surprise, Icilyn smiled a very beautiful smile, making her face light up.  
  
"You passed the test - I was making sure that sex isn't the only thing on your mind."  
  
Icilyn lifted her grand head and kissed Sirius deeply. Sirius stroked her raven hair.  
  
He pulled away after a moment then they parted - her to Ravenclaw wing and him to Gryffindor tower.  
  
* * *  
  
"James!" Lily squealed, rolling onto her stomach to keep her lover from continuously tickling her.  
  
James laid on his stomach also, facing Lily.   
  
She's so beautiful, James thought, brushing strands of russet hair from her face and running his thumb over her warm cheek. Why'd she pick me and not Sirius or Remus? It's been me for six years and I was a daft prick to her for five and a half...But why did she still love me after that? How could she even think of loving me after the dickhead I was to her?  
  
"I love you, James," Lily said, smiling softly.  
  
"I love you too, my Lily-Lily," James replied.  
  
"I hope we can be in love forever."  
  
"I know we will."  
  
"How do you know?" Lily asked, propping herself up on her elbows. "How do you know that we will be so in love forever? I mean, we're only sixteen."  
  
"It's just one of those things I know," James said softly. "I can't really explain it. It's just this feeling I get when I'm around you. And when I'm not around you, I can't stop thinking about you. You're always in my mind."  
  
"Do you think we'll get married?"  
  
"Would you like to get married?"  
  
"As of right now, yes."  
  
"Then it's set," James said, propping himself up on his elbows also. "We'll wed after Hogwarts."  
  
"Whoa! We're still young! When we graduate, we'll only be eighteen - are you sure we can handle marriage?"  
  
"Lily, we've been through so much together that I'm positive we can be together - despite what has happened over the years - last year...."  
  
"James," Lily whispered. "That was the most horrible thing to happen to me, Voldemort wanting to gain an heir from me. Even though Lord Voldemort never got as far as he wanted to, I still can't let anyone else touch me, save you and Remus and Sirius. I just can't."  
  
James rolled onto his back and pulled Lily on top of him.  
  
"I know, baby," he whispered. "Voldemort will pay."  
  
"Snape will pay as well," the two heard a second voice.  
  
They looked up to see Sirius standing by the portrait hole. His cheeks were flushed as if he had been running and his dark hair was slightly ruffled.  
  
"Sirius, my man, how are you doing?" James asked, not letting go of Lily.  
  
Sirius looked at the two lovebirds and chuckled, stating, "Getting kinky on the common room floor, now are we?"  
  
"Ha! As if," Lily said, getting off of James and fixing her black Hogwarts robes. "The day we go at it in public will be the day when Professor Binns is exciting."  
  
"I'll hold you to that one," Sirius teased.  
  
"Yeah, yeah," Lily replied. "So what brings you to interrupt us anyway? Have a new girlfriend? And it's only been one month into school.... Let me guess, it's Georgiana Lufften from Ravenclaw?"  
  
"I thought I was predictable - and look at you, can't even guess my girlfriend - if I have one, that is," Sirius added quickly.  
  
"She's not from Slytherin is she?" James asked.  
  
"Ha! Like I'd date a Slytherin!" Sirius exclaimed. "Besides, I'm not dating anyone."  
  
"There has to be someone you're at least shagging," Lily said. "You don't have that look on your face, but there's something different about you....You're not gay are you?"  
  
"Let's see, how did you put this last year?....That's okay if you like 'em, whatever floats your boat, but I don't have a tendency towards men."  
  
Lily giggled, wrapping her arms around Sirius and kissing him gently on the cheek. She then settled herself back into James' arms. The two young men acted as if nothing had happened, for they both knew how much more love Lily felt for the both of them since the previous year. They both knew that Lily's love towards James was deep as well as romantic, but her love for Sirius was now deeper than words could describe. There was a special bond between the three of them that would not - could not be broken. Everyone knew that.  
  
"Do you know how boring it would be if we weren't able to torture you?" Lily queried teasingly.  
  
"I know, I know.... But for the last time, I don't have a girlfriend," Sirius said, which was partially true for him and Icilyn hadn't declared their relationship official.  
  
Sirius looked at his two best friends and felt his stomach drop. Their love was pure, sweet, about giving, not receiving. He knew as many times as he had tried, there was no way that he could find someone be in love with and to be loved back as much as the two of them had for each other. He knew it was one of those seldom relationships that everyone strived to have.   
  
"So, what've you been up to?" Sirius asked. "Is it something I even want to know?"  
  
Lily rolled her eyes.   
  
"You are so not funny, Sirius."  
  
"Hey, I don't want to know if the two of you are getting freaky on the common room floor...." Sirius defended.   
  
"We were just talking," James explained. "Which reminds me, I need to talk to you, old mate."  
  
Sirius arched an eyebrow, but nodded, saying that he'd be in the boys' dorm when James was ready.  
  
"Full - moon," James commented between kisses. "We need - to set - plans."  
  
"Mm.... Have fun, dear; I'll be in my dorm if you need me."  
  
"Will you be waiting naked?" James asked teasingly.  
  
Lily let out a derisive laugh and kissed James one last time before they departed up the separate staircases.  
  
* * *  
  
"I thought we had already planned what was going on tonight..." Sirius stated.  
  
James raised an eyebrow.  
  
"So you heard me telling Lily that?"  
  
"If she's really waiting in her dorm naked, I wouldn't be here, I'd be up the ripping off my clothing as fast as I could."  
  
"That's all you think about, sex is," James said, smiling serenely at his best friend. "But we both know that's not what I came up here to discuss, though."  
  
Sirius' face became sober and slightly grave.  
  
"You got another one, didn't you?"  
  
James nodded slowly.  
  
"Goddamn it," Sirius growled. "James, you really need to go to Dumbledore. This is...how many? Five?"  
  
James pulled out egg-shelled colored parchment from the pocket of his robes.  
  
"Six actually," James corrected. "It was right before Lil and I had our torture war. She tried taking it from me to see what it was, but I wouldn't let her; then we started attacking each other - sort of...."  
  
Sirius looked skeptically at his friend.  
  
"What does it say this time?"  
  
James passed him the note and Sirius unfolded it and read its contents.  
  
  
  
Dear Mr. Potter,  
  
  
  
You, my friend, are on the wrong side. As you have angered me once before, I assure you that your error will be revamped only if you join me. You have much potential, my talented, young friend, and I could show you everything you need to know - I could give you more power than you could even imagine. I could even help you find a real woman other than that now worthless Mudblood you claim to love and commonly sleep with.  
  
Think about it, James - you have ten days.  
  
  
  
Until then -  
  
Voldemort  
  
  
A green skull with a serpent protruding from its mouth accompanied the Dark Lord's signature.  
  
"Down right friendly, that was," Sirius commented. "Literally."  
  
"I don't know what to do about it," James said. He sighed heavily as Sirius placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.  
  
"Go to Dumbledore, mate. That's the best advice I can give you."  
  
"Do I tell Lily?" James asked. "I told her about the first one, but do I tell her that I've gotten five more since then?"  
  
"Lils will be pissed to no end, you know that right?"  
  
"I know, I know," James said, sighing once more. "I can't tell her...I just can't."  
  
"Remus will tell her, you know he will."  
  
"I'll ask him not to," James said simply.  
  
Sirius raised an eyebrow. He was about to dispute when a knock came at the door, followed by Remus entering the room.  
  
"Um...Sorry to interrupt, but since it's the full moon, my ears could hear you two talking from outside the portrait hole. First of all, you should go to Dumbledore; and secondly, I'm not going to tell Lily anything - I know last year I promised her I would, but you've dug your grave by not telling her, and now you have to lie in it."  
  
"This is just great," James said immensely. "I'm not telling her."  
  
Remus shook his head.  
  
"What time is it?" he asked.  
  
"Seven-thirty," James answered, looking at the silver watch Lily had given him for Christmas last year.  
  
"Shit!" Remus exclaimed. I've got to meet Madam Pomfrey by the Whomping Willow in fifteen minutes."  
  
"Do you need anything when we come down?" Sirius asked.  
  
"No, I don't think so," Remus replied.  
  
"Well, then we'll meet you at midnight - usual place," James said, waving cheerily as Remus exited the room.  
  
"Poor guy," Sirius said softly. "He's only sixteen and he's already been through nearly fourteen years of Transformations."  
  
James stared solemnly at the door for a few seconds, before stating, "I'm going to talk to Lily. Maybe I'll tell her about the letters.... But if she gets angry with me to a point where we'd never make up, just -"  
  
"AK you - I know, you say the same thing every time you're afraid Lils will be hacked off at you," Sirius said.  
  
James smiled and nodded to Sirius as he left for Lily's dormitory.  
  
When James entered Lily's dorm, he found her sitting on her bed, writing in what looked like to be her journal. Lily looked up and smiled at her boyfriend, then shut the evergreen book and set it and her quill on her bedside table.  
  
"Hey, what's up?" she asked.  
  
"What happened to you waiting naked?" James asked, pushing his lower lip out in mock pouting.   
  
"That was your idea, Mr. Potter, not mine. Although arrangements can be made...."  
  
James smiled and sat down next to Lily on her bed. He kissed her forehead and rubbed the small of her back.  
  
"Are your plans set?" Lily asked as James' warm hand slid up her shirt and roamed over her bare skin.  
  
"Perfectly," James replied.  
  
"These are plans I'm sure I don't want to hear about - I can tell by the tone in your voice. But promise me this -" she said, turning slightly and looking into James' black eyes. "Be careful. That's all I ask. And don't do anything too illegal. Just promise."  
  
"We never do anything illegal and we're always cautious," James said.  
  
"I know; but I can't help worrying about the four of you."  
  
"We'll be fine," James assured her softly, kissing her hairline. He moved his hand to the front onto her stomach and wrapped the other arm around her waist also. He nuzzled his face into her hair smelling of -   
  
"Sunflowers," James moaned slightly. "Remember the sunflower patch?"  
  
Lily smiled and tilted her head to meet her lips with James'.  
  
* * *  
  
The crickets were chirping steadfastly in the bright light of the full moon. The cool night breeze sent shivers down the Marauder's backs. All had been silent between the three of them for the past half hour save for the sound of the trudging footsteps, but there was really no need to disturb the beautiful hours of darkness on the grounds of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry.  
  
"Are you okay?" Sirius asked, suddenly breaking the peaceful silence.  
  
"Who?" asked Peter. "Because I'm cold, if that's what you want to know."  
  
"Here-" Sirius said, taking off his sweater and passing it to Peter who thanked him nervously. "I meant James," he clarified. "What's up with you? You seem rather silent. You didn't tell Lils, did you?"  
  
Sirius could see James shake his head in the pale wand light.  
  
"I couldn't do it. She's so worried about us as it is - I can't put any more kinds of anxiety on her."  
  
"That's so sweet of you," Peter said.   
  
Sirius glared slightly at Peter, who wasn't one of the smartest students in school and therefore couldn't conceive of many of the things the other three Marauders talked frequently about.  
  
"James, one way or another, she'll find out - I promise you that. It just won't go on forever with her not knowing. You can live in your fantasy world, but Lily is bloody brilliant - she's bound to find out some way or another."  
  
"I know, I just -"   
  
James was interrupted by the sound of a very loud scream mixed with a howl.  
  
"Good god, that must be the most horrible thing," Sirius stated. "I can't even believe he goes through this once a month."  
  
The three Marauders were silent for the rest of the walk to the Whomping Willow. Peter transformed into his rat form, then pressed the knot to stop the violently swinging branches. James and Sirius transformed into their stag and dog form, then followed the rat through the tunnel under the frozen tree to the Shrieking Shack where they would meet Remus in his wolf form.  
  
* * *  
  
"Wake up Sleeping Beauty," Sirius whispered.  
  
Icilyn moaned, opened her eyes, and rolled over onto her back to see a handsome man standing over her.  
  
"Sirius what in the hell are you doing here?" she said, rubbing her eyes. "How in the hell did you get in here?"  
  
Sirius smiled and sat on Icilyn's bed and drew her navy blue hangings closed before commenting, "The Marauders are all knowing."  
  
"The what now?"  
  
"The Marauders. That's what James, Remus, Peter, and I call ourselves."  
  
"Well, then, that brings me to my first question again: What in the hell are you doing in here?"  
  
"I wanted to see you," Sirius said.  
  
Icilyn arched an eyebrow.   
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"I wanted to see your beauty once more before I ventured into my own sleep," Sirius replied, lying down next to Icilyn.  
  
Icilyn grabbed his hand and held on to it.  
  
After a moment of silence between the two, Sirius said, "Icy, dear, I shouldn't stay for long. What if someone woke up and heard us talking, or saw us together? Then they would think you told me how to get into your dorm and you'd be in trouble. So I ask you this: One kiss before I have to end my day."  
  
Icilyn smiled and turned over to her side to meet his lips.  
  
Sirius got up, tucked Icilyn in once more, kissed her forehead, then exited the Ravenclaw wing.  
  
* * *  
  
"I have a job for you."  
  
"You never talk to me...now you're all of a sudden asking me for favors?"  
  
"Yes."  
  
"I can't even believe it."  
  
"Just tell me if you'd be up to it or not, because if not, I'll find someone else to do this job."  
  
"No, no - I'll do it."  
  
"You like Sirius, right?"  
  
"He's one of the guys I like. Anyway, your point being?"  
  
"I want you to flirt with him all through the day tomorrow."  
  
"What's so different about that? A lot of girls do that as well as myself."  
  
"There's a catch."  
  
"And what's that?"  
  
"You've got to kiss him in the Great Hall - in front of everyone."  
  
"I won't object to that. But there is a price you'll have to pay afterwards."  
  
"And what might that be?"  
  
"I get to have my way with you...."  
  
* * *  
  
James sat in the corner of the lively common room holding seven pieces of parchment. All had been dated throughout several months, but one, in particular, had today's date.  
  
You shall join me - if not by light, then by fire...James read to himself. Well what in the hell does that mean?   
  
What was the price to pay for giving Voldemort what he wanted? After reading and rereading the seventh letter a number of times, he decided that that one specific line meant that he would be forced to join the ranks of the infamous wizard either by saving his own skin or the lives of his loved ones.  
  
Either way, I have to do it - I just have to, James thought. He knew there was no way getting past Lord Voldemort. The only way was death....  
  
James looked around the common room and looked at his best friends and all the acquaintances he had made throughout the six years he had been at Hogwarts. He felt a pang of sadness thinking about what they all would say if they knew he had become a Death Eater. He looked at Lily, who was telling off Sirius about not studying for the Arithmancy exam. He then looked at Sirius who was brushing off Lily with pretending to ignore her. They were James' two best-best friends in the whole entire world. He wondered what it would be like for them if he joined Lord Voldemort or if he killed himself. He couldn't think about for very long without his eyes stinging with tears.  
  
James looked over at Remus and Peter, his two best friends. What would it be like for them without James among their ranks, always coming up with pranks to pull on fellow students or Snape? What would it be like for them if, one morning, James just didn't wake up?   
  
Again, James couldn't think about it for very long without his eyes welling up with tears.  
  
Would they not realize that I'm doing this for them? For their safety? Do they know that I would die if anything ever happened to them knowing I could have prevented it? It's the only way...I've got to do it.  
  
James stood up and strode over to Lily. He kissed her goodnight and goodbye, then whispered in her ear, "I love you."  
  
James then walked slowly up to his dorm. He pulled out necessary items and clothing and placed them into his rucksack, then pushed that under his bed. James climbed into bed with out undressing or taking off his shoes, and pretended to sleep, thinking, "If he doesn't know where to find me, he can't harm me or anyone else."  
  
At a quarter after midnight, when he was sure Sirius, Remus, and Peter were sound asleep, he quietly got up from his bed, put on his rucksack, and wrote a note to Sirius saying he had to leave since his ten days were up, not to worry about him and to tell Lily that he loved her dearly.  
  
James glanced at the Invisibility Cloak draped across the chair by the bathroom. If I'm in hiding, I won't need it. Besides, Sirius could find something useful to do with it, he thought. He then snuck out of his dorm, through the portrait hole, and out of the castle. In the darkness, he took his last glance of the gigantic stone castle and made his way down the path that lead to outside of Hogwarts school grounds.  
  
Upon reaching the winged-boar flanked gates, James heard a dark, ominous voice say, "Not a very smart move, Potter. Not a very smart one at all. Stupefy!"  
  
In James' eyes, everything went black.  
  
  
  
  
Thanks for reading! Don't forget to review! And I want to thank my beta-reader for being a good friend and letting me use her cool name! ~Lavender 


	3. Discovery

A/N: Hey! Sorry it took so long to get this chapter out! I've been extremely busy; but today, I've taken the day off, sick, so I thought it would give me a chance to post my latest chapter. Thanks to everyone that has reviewed! I hope you all enjoy this chapter! ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I own nothing in the Potter Universe (I wish I did! ;)), but the stories I am sharing with are are from my own ideas. I own the ideas and the name(s)/place(s) that you do not recognize.  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Three  
Discovery  
  
  
  
  
The Dark Lord watched the figure of James Potter slump on the cold dirt path. He strode over to the limp body and kicked it over to its backside.  
  
"Look what we've got ourselves, Lucius, my friend." Voldemort smiled nastily. "Are you ready? Do you feel you've studied enough to play the part?"  
  
A tall man in a black hooded cloak and a silver mask covering his face nodded.  
  
"Yes, Master, I feel I am ready."  
  
Voldemort nodded in return and pulled out a knife.  
  
"Master, for me to impersonate Potter, you must keep him alive," Lucius Malfoy said quickly.  
  
"My, you're a daft this evening, aren't you?" Voldemort sneered. "I'm cutting his hair for the Polyjuice Potion."  
  
Voldemort leaned over James's body and cut his black hair down to the scalp. He then stood up and pulled a hip flask from out of his cloak.  
  
"Drink it," Voldemort commanded, handing the flask and tuft of hair to his servant.  
  
Lucius pulled off his mask and cloak. His silver-blonde hair shone in the waning moon and his pale eyes sparkled maliciously. He took the flask and opened it, added the raven hairs, then drank deeply, draining the flask.  
  
Instantly, Lucius doubled over, writhing. His skin turned pale, then a deep tan color. His legs and arms lengthened and his torso shortened slightly and the muscles tightened. His pale hair then turned to black, as did his eyes, which he noticed his vision was fuzzy, for he now needed glasses.  
  
As quickly as the reaction had started, it stopped, and a spitting image of James now stood erect before the Dark Lord.  
  
"Nice," the dark wizard muttered.  
  
Lucius then disrobed James and changed into them, then took James's small, oval-shaped glasses and placed them on his nose.  
  
"You shall not let anyone know you're not the real James Potter until I give you my word. I will send you a flagon of Polyjuice Potion every night at midnight."  
  
"Yes, Master," Lucius said, his voice now lower, like James's. He bowed low.  
  
"Now go, my friend, there are only a few hours before dawn, and I reckon you'll want to become acquainted with that Mudblood girlfriend of Potter's."  
  
The two wizards laughed before they departed. Lucius headed back to the castle, and Voldemort headed towards the Hogwarts gates, the flaccid figure of James floating eerily behind him.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily awoke with a start from the nightmare she had been having. She tried rolling over and going back to sleep, but to no avail. She got up from her bed and tiptoed out of her dorm, through the common room, and into the sixth year boys' dorm, figuring James would comfort her and help her get back to sleep.  
  
When she pulled back the crimson velvet hangings, she saw James lying there, sleeping soundly.  
  
"James," Lily whispered.  
  
James stirred slightly, then opened his eyes. Lily noticed he looked slightly taken aback that she was standing over her. She then noticed that his eyes softened and eerily roamed over her body beneath the flimsy silk nightgown.  
  
"What is it, Lily, my love?" he whispered.  
  
James moved over and pulled down the covers, inviting her in. Lily accepted gratefully, for she didn't bother to put on a dressing and it was rather cold in the boys' dorm.  
  
"I had a nightmare," she whispered, climbing under the covers and shivering from the heat radiating from James's body.  
  
"It's all okay, Baby," James whispered, wrapping his arms around Lily.  
  
" I love you, James."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
* * *  
  
The next morning, Sirius awoke and dressed, unaware of the time. When he did look at the clock on his bedside table, he saw it was half-past six. He decided to wake up James and ask him some more questions about being in love, as he wasn't sure that what he was feeling with Icilyn was love.  
  
Sirius pulled James' hangings back to find his best friend asleep with a gorgeous redhead in his arms.  
  
Lily opened her eyes and squinted in the sunlight. Her eyes quickly adjusted and she smiled at Sirius, showing her white teeth.  
  
"I had a nightmare," Lily explained, seeing Sirius' raised eyebrows.  
  
"Uh-huh, and that explains why his hands are all over you."  
  
"Believe what you want, Siri, but I really did have a nightmare."  
  
James stirred, opened his eyes and groaned, "Good god, I thought it was just a dream."  
  
Lily rolled over and looked at James.  
  
"What did you think was just a dream?"  
  
"That you were here with me," James said, kissing Lily's forehead. He then looked at Sirius. "What is it you want so early this morning, Sirius?"  
  
"I just wanted to talk to you, but I can wait," Sirius replied.  
  
"I can leave if you want me to," Lily said. "I can go get dressed or something."  
  
"Are you sure?"  
  
"Yep."  
  
Lily got up from James' bed and exited the dorm. Sirius noticed that James' eyes paid special attention to Lily's backside as she walked out of the dorm.  
  
"Lordy, that woman's a fox," James said with an odd tone in his voice. He then turned back to Sirius. "What is it that you want?"  
  
"I wanted to ask you about being in love," Sirius stated.  
  
There's no such thing as being in love, James thought. He knew this was not the answer that Sirius would like to hear, so instead, her said, "You'll just know when you are. It's a wonderful experience. Is there someone you want to tell me about?"  
  
"Well...there's this girl -,"  
  
"Is she hot?"  
  
"Beyond belief," Sirius answered. "She's told me she loves me, but I don't know if I love her. So I was thinking that you would know, since you're madly in love with Lils."  
  
"Have you shagged her?"  
  
"No," Sirius said, slightly put-off. "I wanted to wait until I knew the time was right."  
  
"Sirius, how many girls have you slept with?"  
  
"Um...I don't know..." Sirius answered, slightly taken aback by the question. It was an unspoken rule that the Marauders never asked each other specific personal questions. Even though James and Sirius were the best of friends and told each other everything, they still abided by the rule.  
  
"Let's say thirty since you first lost your virginity," James continued. "Sex is very important in a relationship. My advice to you is to screw the chick, then decide whether you like her or not.... I've got to go to the loo."  
  
James got up from his bed and walked over to the dormitory bathroom, then shut the door behind him.  
  
Sirius stared wide-eyed at the door to the loo. Remus' hangings pulled back and a tousle-haired Remus stepped out of bed, looking curiously at Sirius.  
  
"What kind of advice was that?"  
  
Sirius shrugged.  
  
"There's got to be something wrong with him - he would never give you advice like that - never," Remus said.  
  
"That was strange...just strange...."  
  
* * *  
  
Lily sat at the Gryffindor table, sipping a mug of spiced chai. She looked around and realized that she had gone down to breakfast early for a Saturday, for the four House tables were barely filled.  
  
"Good morning, Miss Evans. I trust you slept well."  
  
Lily turned to see Headmaster Dumbledore standing before her.  
  
"No Marauders this morning?"   
  
It took Lily a second to realize that Dumbledore was talking about James, Sirius, Remus, and Peter. Lily wondered how Professor Dumbledore knew about their group, but figured that he knew, more or less, everything that went on around Hogwarts.  
  
Lily nodded. "They must be sleeping still."  
  
"I see. Looks like you're having some chai tea," Dumbledore noted. "I think I'll have a mug of some myself. You have a nice day."  
  
"You too, sir," Lily replied.  
  
Dumbledore smiled benignly, his blue eyes twinkling, and strode away to the High table.  
  
"What was that all about?"  
  
Lily turned back to the table to find Remus sitting down across from her.  
  
"He was just checking up on me; he does that quite often. What's up with you?" Lily asked, seeing the distressed look on his face.  
  
"Well...have you noticed James acting weird this morning?"  
  
"Um...now that I think of it, he grabbed my butt in the middle of the night...he never grabs me there. There are just those certain places that we've never really touched. It wasn't bad...it was just awkward. What have you noticed that was strange?"  
  
"He advised Sirius to sleep with some girl before he knew if he loved her or not. He hasn't given advice like that since he was dating Britannia. Now that he's in love with you, he's all for the waiting until the right time theory."  
  
"I did that? Wow."  
  
"Anyway," Remus continued, brushing his brown hair out of his eyes. "I was just wondering if you noticed anything; my sixth sense is going off for both him and Sirius - who still hasn't told us the whole truth."  
  
Remus had a sly look on his face.  
  
"What are you up to?" Lily asked, arcing an eyebrow.  
  
"I - well - do you know Julia Stratford?"  
  
"She's a Gryffindor fifth year, of course I know her."  
  
"Well, I set up something with her to find out who Sirius is seeing. Her plan is" -Remus leaned in closer -"to flirt with Sirius all day; then, for the big finale, she's going to -"  
  
"And what are we whispering about?"  
  
The two looked up to see James pulling out a chair and sitting down next to Remus.  
  
"Um...nothing," Remus said quickly.  
  
James let out a derisive laugh.  
  
"First of all, I shouldn't have asked because I heard. And second - Julia Stratford is too chicken to do what you want her to do."  
  
"Well, Julia and I had a certain arrangement," Remus said, his cheeks coloring slightly.  
  
"I see," James said knowingly. "I just think that since Sirius is sixteen years old, he should shag as many women as possible before he has to settle down. It's just logical."  
  
Lily set her mug of chai down and glared at James. Her lips were pursed and her emerald eyes were glowing with anger. She crossed her arms over her chest and James couldn't help but notice that she looked extremely unattractive like that.  
  
"Is that what I am?" Lily asked in a dangerous voice. "Do you follow your own advice, James? Am I just one of those girls you take advantage of because they moon over you?" She paused, watching James doing some quick thinking, searching for excuses and answers, which only angered her more. "You think about what you just said, James, or I'll never speak to you again."  
  
Lily bolted up from her chair and stormed out of the Great Hall. When she reached her dormitory in Gryffindor tower, she crawled onto her bed, pulled the hangings shut to enclose her in darkness, and wept.  
  
"Lily?" she heard Sirius' voice call. "Is that you?"  
  
Lily's hangings pulled back and she saw Sirius standing there, his shirt half buttoned, his black hair slightly ruffled.  
  
"What wrong?" Sirius asked, dropping onto the bed and putting his hands on her shoulders. "What's the matter? Lils, you can tell me, honey."  
  
"James was being a dickhead in the Great Hall," Lily said, sniffling. Sirius removed a hand from Lily's shoulder to a wipe a tear from her cheek. "He said that it's logical to sleep with as many women as possible before having to settle down, So I asked him if I was part of that plan; he didn't answer, so I got up and left."  
  
"Lily, James is just being a jerk this morning. He must be having a surge of testosterone running through his veins and it's causing him to be an asshole. He just needs to get it out of him today and he'll be as good as new tomorrow."  
  
"Maybe you're right," Lily said. She wrapped her arms around Sirius' neck and nuzzled into his embrace. Sirius' hands moved around Lily's waist and he pulled her closer. "Thank you."  
  
"Uh...excuse me," Lily heard. She and Sirius ended their embrace to see James standing over them. "If you don't mind, I'd like to talk to Lily, alone."  
  
"What makes you think I want to talk to you?" Lily asked. "After what you said - or didn't say - in the Great Hall, I should never speak to you again."  
  
"Lily, could I just speak to you? Alone?" he asked, glancing at Sirius.  
  
Sirius glanced at Lily, who nodded. He got up and exited the dorm.   
  
Once he was out of earshot, James said, "Lily, let me explain."  
  
"You had better."  
  
"I just haven't been myself this morning."  
  
"Well, who the hell have you been? Because you certainly aren't acting like James Potter."  
  
"I must be coming down with something. I don't feel quite right and all those questions from Sirius put me in an irritable mood, so I told him to do what he usually does."   
  
"But that doesn't sound like advice you would give."  
  
"I know it - that's why I say I must be coming down with something. You know, I think I might actually go see Madam Pomfrey."  
  
"Come here and let me feel your forehead," Lily said, genuinely concerned.  
  
*Jackpot.*  
  
James sat on the bed by Lily, who put her hand on James' forehead.  
  
"Hmm...you don't feel hot," she stated.  
  
As Lily was pulling her hand back, James grabbed her arm and softly kissed her palm and then the inside of her wrist, which made Lily feel flustered.  
  
"It goes both ways - I hope you are coming down with something, and I hope you're not," she said, as James' kisses moved farther up her arm. "Just promise me you'll be tactful from now on."  
  
"I promise," he said, kissing the base of her neck, then right below her ear.  
  
"Good," Lily purred, meeting James' lips. "It's early on a Saturday morning, what are we going to do while everyone's at breakfast?"  
  
"I can think of a few things - one in particular - that we could do to pass the time," James said slyly.  
  
Lily raised her eyebrows.  
  
"You are just too charming; I can never stay mad at you for long," she said.  
  
James unbuttoned Lily's blouse and continued working down....  
  
* * *  
  
Julia Stratford squirmed nervously in her chair at the Gryffindor table. She was moving her mashed potatoes around her plate when Remus leaned over to talk to her.  
  
"So you know what you're going to do, right?" he asked.  
  
"Don't worry about me," Julia said, flipping her long, blonde hair over her shoulder.  
  
"We were talking about leaving soon, so you better keep you plans organized and stay on your toes."  
  
"I know, I know," Julia said. "I'm more worried about our agreement - it's still on right?"  
  
"Julia, I don't know if that's exactly right. I mean, you're only fifteen years old."  
  
"I'm not illegal," Julia interjected.  
  
"That's beside the point."  
  
"If our arrangement is off, then you'll never find out who Sirius is shagging. Besides," Julia added, her voice lowering to a more seductive tone, "we're both getting two things out of this."  
  
"All right, all right. Whatever you want."  
  
"Julia smiled, her blue eyes sparkling, and turned to talk to Lily and James and flirt with Sirius even more.  
  
"...I don't know about that, James," Sirius was saying. "I mean, Fitzpatrick is an amazing Keeper, he's going to play for England next year. So there's no way I'll make the team in two years."  
  
"I think you're the greatest Keeper anyone's ever seen," Julia told Sirius.  
  
"Oh, thank you," Sirius managed to stutter while Julia's bare foot traveled up and down Sirius' leg.  
  
"Julia's right, though, Sirius," Lily said, shifting in her chair and wincing slightly. "You are one of the greatest Keeper's I've ever seen."  
  
James rubbed Lily's back and nodded in agreement. He then whispered in her ear, still loud enough for Julia to her, "Are you okay?"  
  
Lily nodded shortly, then shifted again, wincing slightly once more.  
  
"Are you not feeling well?" Julia asked Lily.  
  
"Oh, I've got a stomach ache," Lily replied, not too convincingly.  
  
"You should go see Madam Pomfrey - she can cure stomach aches in a matter of seconds," Julia informed.  
  
"Maybe you should go see Madam Pomfrey," James suggested.  
  
"I'm not going to see Madam Pomfrey over something like this," Lily said, irritated. "Maybe I should go lie down."  
  
Lily got up from her chair and started walking out of the Great Hall, closely followed by James.  
  
"What was that all about?" Julia asked. "It doesn't seem like she has a stomach ache."  
  
"I didn't think so either," Sirius said. "I'm going to see what that was about. I mean, Lils has been really irritable today. And she's been looking like she isn't feeling well. Well - if it's something like" -Sirius shuttered - "I don't want to know about it."  
  
Sirius got up and started walking away. Julia quickly got up and walked over to Sirius. She linked her arm through Sirius' and he looked down at her.  
  
"Hey, Jules," he said, smiling softly; but he couldn't say much more for Julia's lips were pressed against his.  
  
Remus laughed as half the students in the Great Hall gasped and the other half (mostly the male population) whooped.  
  
The kiss lasted a good forty-five seconds. When Julia pulled away, Sirius stared at her, then looked around the cheering crowd with wide eyes and flushed cheeks.  
  
Julia glanced at Remus, winked, and mouthed, "My dormitory", and quickly left the Great Hall.  
  
* * *  
  
The Dark Lord stood over the nearly naked, limp, figure of James Potter, his wand pointed over James' chest.  
  
"Ennervate."  
  
James' eyes flew open and he started when he saw the tall wizard. His eyes darted around the dark room, taking in the many odd-looking objects.  
  
"James Potter," the Dark Lord said quite pleasantly.  
  
"Voldemort," James hissed.  
  
"You don't fear me, do you, James?"  
  
"Why should I fear you?"  
  
"True, true," Voldemort said. "But I know you fear the idea of me, the idea I have many under my control that could torture or kill you at my command. I know you fear that my followers could endanger your loved ones - especially that Mudblood, Evans."  
  
"Why am I here?" James asked. "And why in god's name am I in my underwear?"  
  
"Let me start at the beginning, my young friend," the elder wizard said. "But first, make yourself at home."  
  
The Dark Lord pointed his wand at the empty grate to James' left, which massive flames arose and started crackling gloomily. Voldemort then conjured a pair of brilliant green robes that reminded him of the color of Lily's eyes. The Dark Lord handed James the robes, which James put on, then sat in the armchair Voldemort pointed to.  
  
"Well, let me begin with the letters I sent you. I told you, you would join me by light or by fire - and you chose fire.  
  
"My servants have been watching you for several months now - one in particular has taken up acting as you. So, know right now, you're not missed."  
  
"Who...?" James began to ask.  
  
"I assume you know Lucius Malfoy -"  
  
"Malfoy!" James exclaimed. "That dirty rat is running around with my friends? He's - oh, god - he's - he's - Lily. He hasn't...he wouldn't..."  
  
Voldemort let out an amused laugh.  
  
"I assure he's has."  
  
The Dark Lord laughed again. He then reached into the pocket of his robes and withdrew a piece of slightly crumpled parchment and handed it to James.  
  
James' eyes skimmed over the untidy scrawl; certain words seemed to jump out at him. But a few particular phrases angered him more than ever and made his stomach fill with ice:  
  
*"...Long-awaited experience to finally fuck her...Screaming Potter's name like no other...She was so sore afterwards, she could barely sit down...Tell Potter she has the nicest ass - for a Mudblood slut."*  
  
James slowly crumpled the parchment, tossed it into the fire, and watched it ignite, the back of his eyes burning with tears he refused to shed.  
  
"You're all heartless bastards," James growled.  
  
"Oh, please, James - I'm a heartless bastard? What about you? You're the one who left your friends when they needed you most. You're the one who pushed Evans aside for five years, never giving her the time of day. Then you and your little friends skimped her on everything. My hell, you still do that. Don't you understand, I'm not the heartless bastard - you are."  
  
"I love Lily," James said. "I don't tell her because I don't want her to worry."  
  
"And I still think that if you'd have been honest with her to begin with, she wouldn't be fucking Lucius. Now, have a drink."  
  
Voldemort conjured a large bottle of brandy and two small glasses. He poured one, passed it to James, then poured a second and drained the glass himself in two gulps. He sighed, then poured himself another glass.  
  
"Drink up, my young friend."  
  
James watch the Dark Lord down another glass before he considered even tasting his own. He looked around the room and figured things were only going to go downhill from there, so he tipped back his head and sucked the brown liquid down in a matter of seconds.  
  
The brandy stung James' throat, causing him to cough and splutter.  
  
"That's a good man," Voldemort said, smiling and leaning over to slap James on the back. "You like that?"  
  
"More," James choked out, passing the glass to the Dark Lord.  
  
Voldemort laughed heartily and poured more brandy into the small glass.  
  
* * *  
  
Remus knocked on the fifth year girls' dormitory door. There was no answer, so he slowly opened the door and entered the room.  
  
The circular room was lit with several lavender candles, which gave off a relaxing scent. Remus noticed that all the hangings on the beds were closed save bed's crimson hangings. Julia was sitting on that bed, but she got up when she saw Remus and seductively strode over to him.  
  
Remus couldn't help but stare at Julia in her sapphire silk nightgown and she swayed her shapely hips. He was caught somewhere in between the guilt of taking advantage and the animalistic side of him wanting, craving the touch, the taste of human flesh. Caught between being human and being animal. The thought of Julia's body behind the thin material was almost more than he could stand, and his animal side took over. He shut the door behind him and put the Locking Charm on it. He then turned back to Julia, who placed her arms around his neck and raised herself on tiptoe to kiss him.  
  
Remus melted into the kiss, his hands finding a resting place on the small of Julia's back. New sensations were sending explosions throughout their bodies as their lips intertwined. Remus' hands started exploring Julia's body. Such a nice body, Remus noted, as his hands slid over her curves, her butt, through her golden hair.  
  
"Wait," Remus panted, pulling away from the mind-scrambling suction of Julia's full lips. "It isn't right - we shouldn't be doing this."  
  
Julia stepped back and looked at Remus carefully, seeing that he both did and didn't mean what he said, she took the hem of her nightdress, pulled it over her head, and let it cascade out of her hands and onto the floor.   
  
Remus' eyes widened as he saw Julia's body. It must have been the most beautiful thing he had ever seen. And, once again, he felt his animal instincts starting to take over.  
  
"Are you still sure?" Julia asked, watching Remus' reaction with a slight smile on her face.  
  
"My god," he whispered.  
  
Remus stepped forward and swept Julia up in his arms with a sense of urgency, but knowing they had all the time in the world, for Time seemed to stop as they locked lips a second time and Julia busied herself with the task of removing Remus' clothing.  
  
Remus clung to Julia as if drinking in life to keep him from death. Julia's fingers nimbly unbuttoned Remus' shirt and pushed it off his shoulders, letting her hands roam over his chest, her fingers running through the light-brown hair over his upper body. His mouth moved to the base of Julia's neck and listened to the moans coming from the back of her throat. The moans were the most beautiful sounds Remus had ever heard any animal make.  
  
Remus moved his mouth to Julia's once again, but she quickly pulled away and took his hand in hers and led him over to the bed. She pulled off his trousers, sat down, and giggled nervously as Remus clumsily crawled on the bed.  
  
* * *  
  
"Explain yourself," Icilyn demanded.  
  
Sirius kept his eyes on the gorgeous, black-haired Ravenclaw. Her green eyes were flashing maliciously.  
  
"I didn't have any control of it, honey."  
  
"Don't you dare call me honey," Icilyn shot back.  
  
"Julia just came up to me and then it happened," Sirius defended.  
  
"You didn't pull away, did you?" she pressed on. "You liked it, didn't you? You're going to go shag her now, aren't you?"  
  
Sirius stood up from the chair he was sitting in.  
  
"Icilyn, it meant nothing," he said slowly. "If you can't see that I love you, not Julia, then I think we should discontinue our little escapade. If you want to be paranoid that I'm going to leave you for someone else, then I don't want to be a part of it, because I will go find someone else who will treat like I'm trustworthy. Just because I have a reputation for sleeping with women, doesn't mean that I want to sleep with them all at once or I can't want just one girl."  
  
Sirius turned towards the door and started walking towards it.  
  
"Sirius, wait!" Icilyn called.  
  
Sirius pivoted towards Icilyn. He folded his arms over his chest and gave her a quizzical look.  
  
"I - I didn't mean what I said. I really didn't. I was - well - worried about your feelings towards me. I like you a lot, Sirius. I even think I'm starting to fall in love with you. But when I saw you kiss Julia Stratford, my mind started racing with all kinds of ridiculous ideas that you were going to leave me." She paused and gave Sirius a pained look. "I know it sounds really silly and childish of me to say things like that," Icilyn added. "But my instincts weren't unreasonable. I mean, you're dead sexy, Sirius, who wouldn't give everything they own to have you? And I know you know that. Don't pretend you don't." Julia said, seeing Sirius' cheeks flush. "You could take advantage of all the girls in the entire school and they wouldn't even know what hit them. Don't you see that the way I reacted was the most logical?"  
  
"I do see," Sirius said softly. "But you don't have to worry about me. I'm not falling for Jessica Crimsby, or Allison Watson, or definitely not Julia Stratford. But there is one thing for sure. Make that two."  
  
"And what might those be?" Icilyn asked, stepping closer to Sirius.  
  
"For one, Julia Stratford is in love Remus and I'll be damned if they're not shagging each other."  
  
"And two?"  
  
"I'm falling head-over-heels in love with you."  
  
* * *  
  
Lily walked down the long corridor in search for Professor McGonagall. She needed to receive permission for a surprise birthday party she and the other three Marauders would hold for Remus. So far, McGonagall wasn't in her office or the staff room or her classroom, so Lily had taken to checking every classroom that McGonagall could possibly be in. As to that, the professor wasn't in the classrooms for Muggle Studies, Potions, Defense Against the Dark Arts, Divination, Astronomy, or Ancient Runes. That eliminated all the classrooms save one: The Charms classroom.  
  
Upon reaching the third floor Charms corridor, Lily heard a woman speaking inside the Charms classroom and she quickened her pace. Once she reached the door, she placed her hand on the cold, lion head-shaped doorknob, and pulled the door open.  
  
Inside, Lily saw a handsome black-haired male sucking softly on a gorgeous black-haired female's neck while his fingers nimbly unbuttoned the navy-blue blouse with a patch on the front pocket of a raven.  
  
Lily gasped and shut the door behind her. She turned and walked rapidly down the hall and up four flights of stairs to Gryffindor tower. Then she marched right up to the fifth year boys' dorm to find James.  
  
He was sitting on his bed uninterestedly looking through Quidditch Through the Ages for probably the thousandth time. What struck Lily as odd was that he was glancing at the pages without the usual maniacal glint in his eye and he was muttering things like "Don't know why in the world..." and "I'll be damned if I can do that" under his breath.  
  
"James," Lily said.  
  
He looked up and smiled.  
  
"Hi, honey," he replied. "What's up? You look like you've seen a ghost."  
  
Lily smiled at James' using her Muggle expression.  
  
"Not quite," she said. "But I did see something rather intriguing that I thought you would like to hear about."  
  
"And what would that be?"  
  
"I saw Sirius," she said.  
  
"So? I see Sirius all the time. Lils, have you gone mad?"  
  
"No, no, no. I saw Sirius with a girl," Lily clarified.  
  
"What?"  
  
Lily heard Peter exclaim as he pulled his hangings back.  
  
"I saw it," Lily said.  
  
"Who was she?" James demanded.  
  
"I'm not quite sure because their tongues were down each other's throats and he was unbuttoning her shirt, so I didn't stay. I was looking for Professor McGonagall and I heard voices in the Charms classroom - one was a woman that sounded very much like McGonagall. So I went in and I saw Sirius and this girl just snogging like there was no tomorrow."  
  
"Well, what house was she in?" Peter asked. "Maybe that could help us narrow down who she is."  
  
"She's in Ravenclaw," Lily said. "She has long black hair and she's gorgeous beyond belief." Lily suddenly felt rather blah thinking about the pretty Ravenclaw and comparing her to herself.  
  
"And who does that leave us?" James asked Peter.  
  
"Well, if she's in sixth year, it would have to be Jamie Watterson. She's the only sixth year girl with dark hair. As for other years, there's Korrin and Katrina Harper, who are first years."  
  
"Unlikely," Lily interjected.  
  
"There's Gretchen Fretlin and Jessica Lorden in third."  
  
"Who are both basically trolls," James interjected this time. "Sorry," he added quickly, seeing that Lily scowled, for she hated it when anybody insulted girls in that kind of way.  
  
"Then there's no dark-haired girls in fifth year. Then there's Jamie Watterson. Who am I forgetting? It can't be any of those girls. Could it?"  
  
"I don't think so..." James said slowly. "He isn't really the type to go for younger girls...but now that he's a sixth year, maybe the other girls aren't interested in him."  
  
Lily's eyes widened when she remembered something she managed to overlook when she saw the two together.  
  
"What about Icilyn Garicky?" Lily asked.  
  
"This year's Head Girl?" James asked.  
  
  
  
Hope you enjoyed! Don't forget to review. Have any complaints? Be nice and boost me with constuctive critisism! Thanks! Until next chapter, Lavender 


	4. Perfection

A/N: Sorry this has taken me so long to get this chapter out. I've had a tough time with the holiday and then I've had a bad case of writer's block...so if this chapter isn't that great, you know why. But thank you so much for waiting patiently! I hope you enjoy! ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: Are they mine? Only in my La La Land...but when I'm here on Earth, Harry Potter and all that good stuff that comes with does NOT belong to me. They belong to JK Rowling (and whoever else).  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Four  
Perfection  
  
  
  
The sixteenth of November, also known as Remus' birthday, came over the weekend. Lily had finally received permission to throw a party for him, after that certainly embarrassing incident two days ago.  
  
Neither Lily, James, nor Peter had said anything to Sirius about Icilyn Garicky, but they had told Remus, who seemed to disappear that night until the early hours of dawn. Remus had been shocked that Sirius had gone after the Head Girl, and was even more shocked that the Head Girl was going along with the rule-breaking Marauder. Many rumors had it, as far as Remus knew, that Icilyn Garicky never broke rules. She was a rule-lover and a teacher's pet - perfect for the part of Head Girl. She had received the highest number of OWLs in her fifth year and she was destined to receive the highest number of NEWTs.  
  
Lily was busy setting up decorations in the common room before Remus woke up. Peter had gone to the kitchens to get a cake from the house-elves and James had taken the Invisibility Cloak to Hogsmead to pick up a small keg of butterbeer and other snack items from Honeyduke's Sweet Shop. Sirius was busy helping Lily hang banners sporting "Happy Birthday Remus!"  
  
Lily looked at Sirius, who was using his wand to rearrange the furniture. Lily saw that Sirius' face was absolutely glowing.  
  
"What are you so happy about, Siri?" she asked.  
  
"The seventeenth birthday is the second biggest celebrated birthday in the wizarding world."  
  
"Really? What's the first?"  
  
"Two hundred years."  
  
"Oh." Lily paused in order to charm the banners to change colors. "Why is the seventeenth birthday the most celebrated? When you told me to ask McGonagall if we could have a party, I thought you just didn't want to break rules anymore."  
  
"Ha ha," Sirius laughed sarcastically. "The seventeenth birthday is the most celebrated because you are finally viewed as an adult in the eyes of the Ministry. You get your rights and certain laws don't apply to you anymore."  
  
"Consent laws too?"  
  
"No, they occur at age fifteen," Sirius answered.  
  
"Okay." A sly smile spread across Lily's face. "So, if you were to sleep with - say - Icilyn Garicky, it'd be legal and all?"  
  
"Icilyn Garicky?" Sirius said, his wand slipping out of his hand.  
  
"Is there a problem?" Lily asked.  
  
"No, not at all," Sirius said quickly picking up his wand. "I just - I - um..."  
  
Lily winked knowingly.  
  
"We know, Sirius, we know," Lily said with a laugh.  
  
"You - you all?"  
  
Lily was about to answer, but a red-faced, excited-looking Peter came through the portrait hole.  
  
"What's up?" Sirius asked.  
  
Peter threw a massive box that, Sirius guessed, contained Remus' birthday cake. He then withdrew a piece of eggshell-colored parchment with pink ribbons attached to the corners from his pocket.  
  
"A sister!" he exclaimed.  
  
"What?" Lily asked.  
  
"My mum just sent me this owl," Peter explained. "I'm going to have a sister!"  
  
"Really?" Peter nodded. "Congratulations."  
  
"Yeah, congratulations."  
  
"Thank you!" His face turned even redder from pride.  
  
James walked through the portrait hole and set down the Invisibility Cloak and a bronze keg. He then walked over to the other three and looked at them inquisitively.  
  
"Mum's pregnant," Peter squealed. "I'm going to have a sister!"  
  
"Wow!" James said. "That's great. You know, it's not very common that wizarding families have more than one child."  
  
"I've never heard that," Lily stated.  
  
"There would be a battle over inheritances if there was more than one child."  
  
"What's going on down here?"  
  
The four looked up to see a tousle-haired Remus in a dressing gown standing at the foot of the stairs.  
  
"I'm going to have a sister!" Peter cried.  
  
Remus looked at the several banners hanging around the room. He then looked back at Remus.  
  
"Um...happy birthday?" Sirius said, more question-like, looking over at the others.  
  
"Happy birthday!" the other three shouted in unison.  
  
"Seventeenth - a big one," Sirius said.  
  
"I know it," Remus said, grinning widely. "Thank you all. This is all so - so sweet. I suppose that's full of butterbeer," he added, pointing to the keg. "And that's a cake."  
  
Lily hugged Remus and kissed him on the cheek. Sirius and James half-hugged him and Peter clapped him on the back.  
  
"I suppose McGonagall gave you permission?" Remus asked, picking up the box and placing it on the table.  
  
"How could we not ask?" Lily questioned.  
  
"You know - seventeen," James said.  
  
"What is it about the seventeenth birthday?" Lily asked. "I mean, you're just one year older."  
  
"Ah, but that's what you think," James said. "The seventeenth birthday is the day that starts all the things that will matter in your life."  
  
"Yes, I know the Ministry views you as an adult and you get all your rights - but still."  
  
"With the Ministry off you back, you can do magic outside of school. They don't check for underage magic use anymore. Of course, McGonagall will ask you not to use magic outside of school, but nobody really keeps watch," Remus informed.  
  
"Then what's so special about the two-hundredth birthday?"  
  
"Well, hardly any witches or wizards live to see two hundred. Once they hit one hundred and ninety-nine, they die. So it's a big deal if you hit two hundred," Sirius said. "Kind of like Muggles who live to a hundred."  
  
"Oh. Enough of this talk. How about we get ready to go down to breakfast?"  
  
"Good idea."  
  
The five friends parted to get ready for breakfast, then headed to the Great Hall.  
  
* * *  
  
James sat in the corner of the cold, stone room with his head in his hands. His brain felt like it had been hit with a Hammering Charm. He tugged at his hair to think of something else - Remus' birthday party that they would have planned for him, had James been there. Although, if Malfoy was playing his part well, the party would already be up and going.  
  
"It seems that it's the werewolf's birthday today."  
  
James raised his head and looked at the Dark Lord, who was standing in the doorway. He was holding a glass of water and a large purple pill.  
  
"Take this," Voldemort said, striding over to James and shoving the glass and pill into his hand. "For the pain."  
  
"Why are you doing nice to me?" James asked after he took the pill and feeling his headache had cured within seconds. "I never thought you'd be this way."  
  
"James, James," the tall wizard sighed. "Can't you see that this is the winning side? I was only uncivil to you when you rescued Lily."  
  
"Don't you dare talk about Lily," James growled. "You don't know her like I do. I'll never see her again. I love her so much. I - I -" James paused and looked at the Dark Lord, then at the floor. "Oh god, I miss her."  
  
"Which brings me to my next point before I feel ready to tell you another story in order for you to receive the Dark Mark." James stopped himself from flinching. He hadn't verbally agreed yet, but he knew that becoming a Death Eater was the only way to save his friends. "I've got a special someone I'd like you to - er - enjoy."  
  
Voldemort clapped his hands twice, the door sprang open, and a beautiful blonde entered the room. She shut the door behind her, and then turned back around, looking at James with a come-hither expression.  
  
"Who's that?" James asked, eyeing the woman. He guessed that she in her twenties and, obviously, was working for the Dark Side.  
  
"This," Voldemort stated, "is...let's call her Chelsea. Chelsea is here for you, James."  
  
"Me?"  
  
"I like to keep my men happy," he replied, with a malicious smile crossing his thin lips.  
  
Chelsea seductively strode over to where James was sitting. She grabbed his hand and led him over to an armchair, sat him down, then crawled onto his lap.  
  
"What in the bloody hell is she doing?" James asked in an unnaturally high voice as Chelsea started pulling off his robes.  
  
"Keeping you happy," the Dark Lord stated simply. He smiled and sat down in the chair opposite James and Chelsea.  
  
Chelsea's hands roamed over James' bare chest. Her fingers ran over his tense stomach muscles and nibbled at his inner thighs through the diaphanous, silk material of his boxers.  
  
"No, this isn't right. I can't do this to Lily," James said in a half-growl half-groan.  
  
"Is it the red hair and the green eyes you want? Because I can do red hair and green eyes."  
  
Lord Voldemort snapped his fingers and, instantly, Chelsea's hair turned from blonde and straight to auburn and wavy. Her eyes turned form crystal-blue to a bright emerald. A few freckles appeared on the flawless skin and the pink lips filled out. James couldn't help but notice that she looked exactly like -   
  
"Lily," he breathed.  
  
"Hi James!" she said brightly, sounding exactly like Lily.  
  
James' hands flew to Lily's face. He rubbed her smooth skin. She, in turn, brushed her hand across his stubble-covered cheek and across his lips. He kissed her red-swirled-with-gold fingertips.  
  
Lily leaned forward and pressed her lips against James'. He opened his mouth under hers and kissed her deeply, only to pull away after a few seconds.  
  
He looked at Voldemort.  
  
"This is a trick," he said. "This isn't Lily. That's not the way she smells...or tastes...."  
  
"You can never be satisfied," the Dark Lord said, clapping his hands twice.  
  
Lily disappeared and left James sitting on the stiff armchair by himself. He pulled his robes then growled, "The sooner you start talking, the sooner you can leave, the sooner I can get back to sitting in the corner feeling sorry himself."  
  
"I do wish you'd lighten up, James. Being on the Dark Side - as you call it - isn't all that bad. As a Junior Death Eater, you've got it all made. You don't have to get a job, I feed you, I clothe you, and I can give you anything you want. The only thing I ask in return is that you give me your loyalty. Just ask Lucius when he returns. He was a Junior Death Eater...but now he has to go on missions - and I'm sure he's thoroughly enjoying himself. James, you have nothing to lose."  
  
"And what is there to be gained by fighting the Dark Side?" James inquired. "Only innocent lives."  
  
A flash of malice glinted in the elder wizard's eyes for a mere second.  
  
"Innocent?" he asked. "James, you don't quite understand what I'm trying to do here. You don't realize that it would be better for us all if I were in control."  
  
"You're right, I don't understand," James said. "But, by all means, enlighten me."  
  
"Little things that I would change would make all the difference. Muggles and Mudbloods would be the first to go."  
  
"Lily is Muggle-born," James declared, "and you were going to use her for your little prophecy."  
  
"Yes...but those were different circumstances. If there was any other witch as smart, pure, and beautiful as Lily was without the dirty blood, then I would have used her."  
  
"Lily doesn't have dirty blood," James snarled. "And why would you want to rid the world of harmless Muggles?"  
  
"My father was a Muggle," Lord Voldemort said, resentment clear in his voice.  
  
"Your - your father?" James asked incredulously. "You're joking."  
  
"My mother grew up in the same town as he. They quickly fell in love and were soon wed after my mother's seventh year at Hogwarts. She then told him what she was...and he fled from her. He did not like magic one bit - not unlike Lily's sister, I believe. And my mother was left, poor, alone, and with child."  
  
"My god," James whispered.  
  
"She died giving birth to me - I was left to a Muggle orphanage. Although I grew up with Muggles, I knew I was special…I knew I was a wizard. My mother had left behind a diary full of things she wanted me to know about her, the wizarding world, and much more...."  
  
"She knew she was going to die giving birth to you?" James interrupted.  
  
"My father wasn't there with her. She loved him more than anything. She knew that love was a more powerful magic than any other kind. She didn't have the magic of my father's love to keep her alive; and she knew that right when she found out she was carrying his child."  
  
"Why would you want to rid the world of Muggles when you, yourself, are half Muggle? And if you're half Muggle, isn't your blood just as dirty as Lily's?"  
  
"Do not insult me so," the Dark Lord spat. "You are lucky I am feeling generous today, otherwise, it would have been the Cruciatus Curse for you."  
  
"You've kidnapped me, insulted me and those I love, the least you can do is answer my question," James spat back, not caring if he had to go through the Cruciatus Curse for he felt emotionally hurt enough to deal with physical pain.  
  
"All products of Muggles are a nuisance unto the world. Many people think that about myself. Of course, they don't know my father was a Muggle, but it still is true.... It's my drive for perfection that makes me want Muggles and Mudbloods gone. The world would only be purebloods - perfect. I'm not perfect - not yet, at least - but perfection is what I live for."  
  
"Nobody can be perfect," James stammered. "It's just not feasible."  
  
"Now that's where you are wrong, my young friend," the Dark Lord said with a small, genuine smile. "My mother was perfect."  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius looked around the common room at all his Gryffindor friends. Remus was busy opening presents and the fifth, sixth, and seventh years were watching him with anticipation as bits of wrapping paper flew in their direction.  
  
Lily, who had just given Remus an amethyst amulet, was hugging Remus and giving him birthday wishes. She kissed him on the cheek and sat back down between Sirius and James.  
  
"You know, you're a lot different from last year," Sirius commented quietly as Remus opened another present.  
  
"How do you mean?" Lily asked, taking Sirius' hand in her own.  
  
"You're not the mean-spirited bitch you were last year," Sirius answered, smiling at the shocked look on Lily's face.  
  
"Ah, quite the observation," Lily replied. "But who made me that bitch and why?"  
  
"Okay, I'm lost," Sirius said. "What do you mean?"  
  
"Let me put it his way: If your friends were complete assholes to you, and the guy you liked kept ignoring you, you were stressed about the OWLs, you and your friends kept receiving all these different premonitions, and you were on the verge of being raped by Voldemort, would you be in a bitchy mood all the time?"  
  
"I see," Sirius said. "But, now you're such a sweet person. I would have never known that there was a little angel down in there."  
  
Lily hit him playfully, then kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"The reason you've never seen her is because you four were always doing something to get me hacked off," Lily said.  
  
"Yeah," Sirius agreed. "But now you join in on pranks and are way more relaxed with your studies than you were the first five years."  
  
"Well, I guess I just grew out of that stage. I grew up." She sighed. "I learned that life is too short to be worried about what kind of marks you get. Having friends and loved ones surround you should be your ultimate goal - along side of having as much fun as you can. What about you? I mean, why did you keep Icilyn from us?"  
  
"Because I felt like you guys jinx me. Every time I think I fall in love with someone, I tell you four, then you get all happy for me, then the relationship goes to hell and becomes something purely sexual. Like, when I told you about Katherine Wallsbury. I thought I was going to marry that girl. But then I told you four and things went down as they usually do."  
  
"But Sirius, that's the way Fate works, my dear. Obviously she was telling you that you shouldn't be with this person."  
  
"I don't believe in fate," Sirius said off-handedly.  
  
"You don't?" Lily asked. "You don't believe that it just so happens that Remus is a werewolf and you and James are the cleverest students in our year - especially when it comes to Transfiguration? You don't think it's fate that led us to come out alive from the Dark House last year? You don't think it's fate that the Dark Side is rising and James and I are going to be the only one who puts a halt to it?" Lily saw the skepticism in Sirius' eyes. "Don't you see? You can't always control everything, Siri, that's just not how it works."  
  
"You may believe in fate, but all I know is how Icy makes me feel. I mean, I think I've finally found someone that I can actually say I - "  
  
"What are you two whispering about?" James asked.  
  
"Not much," Lily said. She noticed that James was eyeing Lily and Sirius' intertwined hands suspiciously and she took his hand into her other. "I love you guys so much, you know that?"  
  
"We love you too," Sirius replied.  
  
"Funny how someone so pure-hearted and kind can love someone like me," James said softly.  
  
"Not really," Lily said. "I know you. You are just as kind and pure-hearted as me, but with a wild side."  
  
The three watched as Remus hugged all his friends, thanking them for the gifts and coming to the party.  
  
The fifth, seventh, and the rest of the sixth year girls went down to the Great Hall for dinner while the four Marauders and Lily helped clean up the messes that they had made.  
  
"This has been the greatest birthday," Remus announced. "I love you all...thank you so much for doing this."  
  
"Your bestest friends aren't allowed to miss your very important birthday," Sirius said. "Everyone knows that."  
  
It is kind of a pity, James thought, picking up plastic goblets and throwing them into the dustbin, Friends are supposed to be there for the seventeenth birthday. It certainly is important. After all, in most cases, that's the day you can receive the Dark Mark.  
  
After they were finished cleaning up, Remus surprised everyone by leading them out of the common room and to one of the eastern towers, where they found a large table set with gold dinnerware and several white candles.  
  
"What is this, Moony, old man?" Sirius asked.  
  
"I asked the house-elves to prepare this specially for us," he said.  
  
"What? But it's your birthday," Peter said.  
  
"I know, but, I did this to give you all thanks for being such great friends," Remus said. "You know, you four are the only ones that haven't turned your backs on me since I told you I was a werewolf."  
  
"But, Remus, you can't help the fact that you're a werewolf, you know," Sirius said. "We like you and the fact that you're a werewolf happens to come along with the whole package."  
  
"I know, I know. But I've never had any friends in my entire life until I met you four. I want you all to know how special you guys are to me. You don't have any idea at all." Remus clapped his hands together and announced, "To get on with the eating, I had the house-elves specially prepare Mexican food for us."  
  
"Mexican food?" Sirius questioned. "I don't think I've ever had Mexican food."  
  
"That's because you grew up in the wizarding world and never had restaurants to go to," Lily said.  
  
The five friends sat down at the table and, instantly, many kinds of Mexican dishes appeared upon the table. Everything from black beans to enchiladas was laden upon the small table. And the five enjoyed themselves immensely as, occasionally, Lily and Remus had to explain what certain dishes were.  
  
"This has been the best night of my life," Remus said softly to his friends as he was shoveling a forkful of tostada into his mouth. "Nothing will ever change that."  
  
* * *  
  
"Don't look so stressed out, Prongs," Sirius commented to James.  
  
It was the week following Remus' birthday and Gryffindor was about to go into a Quidditch match against Slytherin. Sirius, James, and the rest of the Quidditch team (compiled mostly of seventh years) were in the changing rooms about to go out onto the Quidditch pitch. James had a tense look on his face, and the only time Sirius remembered James having that look on his face was when they were traveling to the Dark House.  
  
"I can't do this, Sirius," James said. "I just can't."  
  
"James, you're star Chaser on this team - star Chaser in this whole damn school - you're going to be just fine. Just get out there and kick some Slytherin ass like you always do. You know how Palmer is with keeping within the hoops. And, if you don't do as well as you always do, then you don't - no biggie."  
  
"I know, Sirius, I know," James sighed. "I just feel like I'm going to especially suck today."  
  
"You ready?" Jolin Heady, Captain of the team, asked.  
  
She received six nods and they pushed open the doors to enter the pitch.  
  
Three-quarters of the crowd cheered as the Gryffindor team made their way to the middle of the pitch. The other twenty-five percent, which was Slytherin House, booed the scarlet wearers and cheered madly for their own House team.  
  
"Captains, shake hands," commanded the stern-looking Madam Hooch. Jolin and David Bremson gripped hands tightly, glaring at each other. "And I want a clean game," Madam Hooch added.  
  
She blew her whistle and fifteen broomsticks ascended high into the clear air. Action began to take place as the Quaffle was taken into possession by Slytherin Chaser, Michael Jones and was quickly stolen by fellow Gryffindor Chaser, Emily Watson, who quickly put it through the high, golden hoop before the Slytherin Keeper, Palmer, could stop her.  
  
"TEN POINTS TO GRYFFINDOR!" yelled Hufflepuff seventh year, Jonas Arian.  
  
As avoidable as James wanted it to be, the Quaffle came to him, and it was his turn to put it past the Slytherin Keeper. James deftly passed the red ball back and forth with Jolin and Emily until he masterfully placed it past Palmer through one of the golden hoops.  
  
This is easy, James thought. Why did I dread this before?  
  
He easily reminded himself the reasoning behind his inquiry when a black Bludger came speeding past his left ear. John Woolyth, Gryffindor Beater, retaliated by hitting the Bludger at the Slytherin Seeker, Frond, which would have smashed into his face, had he not ducked.  
  
"Oooh," shouted Jonas as a second Bludger flew at James as he was putting the Quaffle through the hoop once more. "This is not going to be a pretty match, I can see that right now. Twenty to nothing, going to Gryffindor."  
  
Jones took the Quaffle into possession again and zipped to the Gryffindor goal posts. Sirius was defending the goal posts greatly, not letting Jones pass, but the Chaser lifted up his arm and elbowed Sirius in the nose. Sirius brought his hand up to his face as blood spilled in torrents from his nostrils and Jones threw the Quaffle in, scoring Slytherin's first goal.  
  
James smiled slightly. Just like Slytherin, he thought, to play a dirty game.... He quickly took on a look of anger then stole the Quaffle and hauled it to the Slytherin goal posts, where he scored another ten points.  
  
"GRYFFINDOR THIRTY; DIRTY, ROTTEN SLYTHERINS TEN!" Jonas half-growled half-yelled.  
  
Bludgers continued to fling themselves towards the Gryffindor players and the Beaters, John Woolyth and Patrick Marsden, were having a difficult time trying to keep Lizabelle Arter, the Gryffindor Seeker, safe, let alone the whole team safe, so James and Sirius and the rest of the team found that they had to duck quite frequently.   
  
Slytherin had custody of the Quaffle, and James was about to snatch it, but a Bludger came at him, making him rise up in the air rapidly. The other Slytherin Beater blew a second Bludger towards Sirius, which nearly took off his arm, and the Slytherin Chasers scored two goals while Sirius was occupied cursing up a storm at the Beater.  
  
Slytherin was now tied with Gryffindor, and there had been no sign of he Golden Snitch. The game was turning nastier with each passing minute and the Slytherins were always one step ahead of Gryffindor, making retaliation difficult.  
  
"Gryffindor Keeper, Sirius Black, defends the goal posts nicely...keep pressure on that nose, by the way," Jonas Arian announced. "Gryffindor Chaser, Jolin Heady, has the Quaffle, she brings it up to the Slytherin posts and...SHE SCORES!!"  
  
Suddenly, the crowd gasped as both Lizabelle Arter and Justin Frond went into a massive dive. The two were streaming blurs of crimson and green. The other twelve players stopped their actions, watching the Seekers dive.  
  
Soon, Lizabelle Arter pulled out of the dive, her hand raised in the air and a triumphant look upon her face, and in her hand, she held the tiny, gold ball with silver wings: the Golden Snitch.  
  
The Gryffindor team let out the breaths that they had been holding and zoomed over to Lizabelle.  
  
"We won! We won!" Jolin cried.  
  
"And the Snitch has been caught by Gryffindor Seeker, Lizabelle Arter, awarding one hundred and fifty points to Gryffindor," Jonas Arian announced excitedly. "Gryffindor wins: one hundred and eighty to thirty."  
  
James looked at Sirius, whose nose was still bleeding, staining his red Quidditch robes, and smiled.  
  
"We did it," he said.  
  
"I told you we would," Sirius said back. "You did awesome."  
  
"As did you, my friend. How's your nose?"  
  
"A bit of blood never hurt anyone," Sirius replied, grinning widely.  
  
"Hey Potter!"  
  
James turned on his broom to see Bradley Burgeous, Slytherin Beater. He was short and stubby, which made him good for position of Beater, and he usually shouted empty threats to James in the hallways.  
  
"This is all your fault, you Mudblood-loving bastard," Burgeous growled.  
  
If he only knew who I really was, James thought, trying to hold back a smirk, which the other Gryffindors and Slytherins mistook for a look of severe anger.  
  
"My fault? How's this my fault when you're team's not even a match for mine?" James asked coolly.  
  
"What did you say?" the big Slytherin asked slowly.  
  
"I said," James said even more slowly, "that Slytherin sucks ass."  
  
"Why you little..." Burgeous growled he raised his Beater's club and flung it at James' head.  
  
"NO!" screamed Sirius.  
  
Sirius raced on his broom in front of James, taking the full blow of the spiraling, wooden club to the left side of his head. He fell off his broom and was falling fast to the ground. Reaction time didn't come quick enough, for soon, Sirius was lying, face down, on the soft grass of he Quidditch pitch.  
  
The whole of the Hogwarts student body as well as professors screamed as they witnessed Sirius hit the ground with a sickening crunch. If James didn't know any better about the spells for anti-Apparition at Hogwarts, he would have sworn Madam Pomfrey Apparated to the Quidditch pitch because she got there within a matter of seconds.  
  
Fifteen minutes later, the Gryffindor team, Remus, Peter, and Lily were sitting by Sirius' bed in the hospital wing. He had been knocked unconscious, but his vital signs were fine. He had a broken nose, two black eyes and a hairline fracture in his left arm and left side of his skull, which Madam Pomfrey healed all these instantly, save the black eyes and the bruised-up nose.  
  
"Mr. Black needs his rest, now get OUT!" Madam Pomfrey said sternly.  
  
"Madam Pomfrey, please at least let James stay," Jolin said. "If it wasn't for Sirius, it would be James in here. If anyone should be able to stay, it's him."  
  
Madam Pomfrey looked at James, then to the unconscious Sirius and her face softened.  
  
"All right," she said, "Everyone out except for Potter, Lupin, Pettigrew, and Miss Evans."  
  
When the others left and Madam Pomfrey returned to her office, the four Gryffindors huddled with their backs to Sirius' bed.   
  
"I just can't believe he went in front of that club for me," James said for the umpteenth time.  
  
"He loves you so much, James, it's not even funny," Lily said softly, massaging the tension out of her boyfriend's shoulders.  
  
"I told you before, I'm not gay!"  
  
The four Gryffindors jumped at hearing this and turned to see a pale Sirius sitting up in bed. Lily rushed over to him and wrapped her arms around his neck, which made him wince.  
  
"I'm so sorry," she said, quickly, "but I thought you weren't going to make it. I was so worried! I can't believe you took that Beater's club to the head!"  
  
"And for James!" Remus teased.  
  
"It's like you said, I love James so much that I didn't want him to get hurt. It wasn't his fault that they lost."  
  
"It wasn't yours either," Peter said.  
  
"Well, in a way it was. I mean, if I had let the Quaffle go through more often, they wouldn't have been so angry."  
  
"Oh shut up," Lily said conversationally, kissing Sirius on the cheek then finally letting go of him. "It's their own damn fault that they lost."  
  
"How long have I been out?" Sirius asked.   
  
James looked at his watch - the same watch Lily had given him for Christmas last year - and replied, "About an hour." Then he looked closer at his watch. "Shit!" he cursed, more under his breath.  
  
"What?"  
  
"I've got to go," James said.  
  
"Why?" Lily asked. James didn't answer, but continued to walk out of the infirmary. "Where are you going?" she called.  
  
"I'll see you later," he called back simply.  
  
Lily turned back to her four friends, her face clearly showing disgruntlement.  
  
"I wish I knew where he ran off to every few hours," she grumbled. She then rounded on Sirius, "Do you know what's up with him?"  
  
"No," Sirius replied truthfully.  
  
"You're his best friend, you should know."  
  
"But I don't know," Sirius said.  
  
"Urgh! He keeps disappearing like that! What do you think is up with him?"  
  
"Lily, I'm sure if he could tell us he would," Remus, the logical thinker, stated. "And I'm sure it's killing him not to tell us."  
  
"I know, I know," Lily said, sighing heavily and allowing Remus to wrap his arms around her waist. "Maybe it's top secret."  
  
"I bet he's already working for Dumbledore as a spy against the Dark Side," Peter put in. "I mean, he seems to know a lot more Dark Arts and more about You-Know-Who."  
  
"You never know," Sirius said slowly. "He could be working for the Dark Lord."  
  
"That's ridiculous!" Lily exclaimed. "James would never work for the Dark Lord!"  
  
"But how do you explain the way he's been acting?" Sirius said. "The odd comments he makes, the things you can hear him saying to himself...."  
  
"Sirius, you're suspecting your own best friend of being loyal to Lord Voldemort?" Remus asked in disbelief.  
  
"No, not at all, Moony," Sirius answered lightly. "I trust James with my life - if I didn't, he'd be here instead of me. I'm just saying that it's quite possible that something's going on. Maybe - maybe he's cheating on Lils."  
  
"Don't you say such things!" Remus growled. "You and I both know he would never do that!"  
  
"He's getting further and further away from all of us," Sirius growled right back. "How do we know what he's up to or not? He never seems to want to hang around with us anymore and he's so secretive."  
  
"Oh! You're awake!"  
  
Madam Pomfrey had come back out of her office and she began checking Sirius' vital signs.  
  
"This young man needs his rest," Madam Pomfrey said. "Out, all of you!"  
  
As the three were leaving the hospital wing, Sirius called out, "Remember what I said and be careful!"  
  
  
  
A/N: I hope you all enjoyed! And thank you for all your wonderful reviews! Happy reading wherever your little eyes go to now! ~Lavender 


	5. Meetings, Flashbacks, and Truths

A/N: 'Ello, 'Ello to all those out there! I hope you enjoy this chapter, because I certainly had fun writing it, that's why it took me so long, because I wanted to draw out the experience. Okay, not really, but I did have fun with this and thank you for waiting patiently! Thank you to all my reviewers and putting up with me not acknowleding you, but I love you all the same! Enjoy! ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: Yes, I'm proud to say that I own Harry Potter and everyone in his universe. Sirius Black is my love slave and worships me like a godess. **Comes crashing back to Earth** Damn it!  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Five  
Revelations  
  
  
  
The weeks rushed past and the four Marauders found themselves Christmas shopping in Hogsmead for their friends and families. James and Sirius were busy picking out gifts for Lily, Remus and Peter were at Zonko's Joke Shop, and Lily was at the Three Broomsticks with fifth-year Gryffindor Julia Stratford, who insisted that they needed to talk.  
  
"How 'bout this?" James asked, holding up a bathrobe sporting the Irish Quidditch team.  
  
"Lily doesn't like Quidditch, James," Sirius said, eyeing James suspiciously.  
  
"Then why does she come to our practices?"  
  
"Because we play. What's gotten into you?"  
  
"I don't know," James said, shaking his head.  
  
"Not feeling like yourself?"  
  
"That's the problem, I feel like myself, but I don't feel like James Potter," James said truthfully.  
  
"I hear you, my friend. I feel like myself, but I don't feel like Sirius Black. We're in the same boat."  
  
Meanwhile, back at the Three Broomsticks, Lily and Julia were deep in conversation about certain things when Julia told Lily something shocking.  
  
"You did WHAT with Remus?" Lily exclaimed.  
  
"Shh! People are looking at us."  
  
The bar went back to its normal commotion and Lily lowered her voice and leaned closer to Julia.  
  
"That's where Remus was that one night?" she asked. "And why you kissed Sirius?"  
  
"Yes," Julia replied.  
  
"I can't believe it."  
  
"What can't you believe? The he slept with me or that he slept with me?"  
  
"Remus is like my brother, and he never tells me about these kinds of things, so it's just shocking that he...well, you know.... I mean, deep down inside I knew that he had, but I just didn't like to think about it."  
  
"I didn't bring you here to talk about that. I wanted to ask you."  
  
"Ask me what?"  
  
"If it's okay to go out with Remus."  
  
"You're asking my consent?" Lily asked with creased eyebrows.  
  
"Well, you guys are best friends, so I thought I should ask you first."  
  
"You don't have to ask me you know, I don't control him."  
  
"Well, what's your opinion?" Julia asked.  
  
"My opinion?" Lily asked. "Well, just be careful; Remus is very secretive. If he wasn't, I'd have known about your little fling with him."  
  
"So he has a lot of secrets?" Julia asked.  
  
"Well, James, Sirius, Peter, and I know everything about him, he just has secrets that he's not likely to tell you or anybody else."  
  
"Why not?"  
  
"They're secrets," Lily said with a shrug. "You can't expect to know everything about him in a month, or maybe ever. He's not going to tell you some things, same as you won't tell him some things."  
  
"But he'll tell you," Julia intercepted, clearly confused and angered. "And he hasn't slept with you."  
  
"Remus is my best friend, Julia," Lily stated calmly, "of course he's going to tell me things that no one else needs to know."  
  
"But I need to know," Julia said, gritting her teeth slightly. "I need to know everything about him before I pursue him. Everything. Otherwise, I'll never get to be the kind of woman he wants and he'll never be the man I need."  
  
"If you want someone that you can take charge of, then Remus isn't the man for you," Lily said firmly.  
  
Julia scowled.  
  
"What gives you the right to tell me who I can get involved with?" Julia asked hysterically.   
  
"You asked my opinion," Lily spat back. "Remus is my friend, I don't want to see him get hurt."  
  
"I'm not going to hurt him! I just want him, I need him!"  
  
"You do what you want," Lily growled slowly, "but you just be careful, because I'll be watching."  
  
Julia stood haughtily, her posture straight and she started walking past Lily, her hips swiveling, but then she whipped around, flipping her blonde hair, and looked at Lily with a smirk on her pretty face.  
  
"Oh, by the way, James really is a demon in the sack, isn't he?" She smiled even wider when she saw the look on Lily's face. "Thank him again for that night for me, would you?"  
  
Julia whipped around and sashayed out of the bar without glancing back.  
  
Lily felt the hatred and anger boiling inside her like a fire under a cauldron full of potion. She felt the tears stinging her eyes, but she didn't let them come out. She stood up carefully and walked out of the bar and started walking down the path towards the castle, not bothering to put on her cloak in the snowy weather. She felt she deserved the cold, the pain. Nothing would take the anger out of her, and her vision was blurred with unshed tears. Her heart wrenched every time she thought of James.  
  
Is that why he's acting so strange? she asked herself. Is he sleeping with another woman? That bitch of a woman? Why would he do this to me? Why?  
  
The tears still would not fall, and she gritted her teeth against both tears and the icy numbness crossing over her whole body. She couldn't feel her fingers anymore, but didn't care to do anything about it. She trudged on through the snow, not knowing exactly where she was going, but not caring.  
  
She heard, in the distance behind her, someone calling her name, but she didn't turn to find out whom it was. She kept walking down the snowy path until she came to the castle. She went up to Gryffindor tower and to her dormitory. She threw her cloak on the ground and leaned herself against her bedside vanity. She picked up the porcelain unicorn her sister, Petunia, and given her for her ninth birthday and hurtled it across the room, which hit the wall and shattered into thousands of miniature pieces.  
  
There came a knock at her door.  
  
"Lily?"  
  
It was Remus.  
  
Lily didn't answer, so he walked in, and closed the door softly behind himself.  
  
"Lily, I saw you leaving Hogsmead, and I called after you, but you didn't hear me. What's the mater with you?" he asked seeing the shards of porcelain on the ground and Lily's anger-strewn eyes and putting two and two together.  
  
"Is he sleeping with her?" Lily growled, looking Remus directly in the eye, which made Remus cower slightly at the rage he saw.  
  
"What do you mean?"  
  
"Is he sleeping with her?" Lily shouted this time.   
  
She picked up the glass jewelry box that her mother and father had given her for her birthday two years ago and flung it across the room, which met the same end as the porcelain unicorn.  
  
"Lily, calm down," Remus said slowly. "Tell me what happened."  
  
Lily gazed at Remus for a few seconds, and all the emotion came out.  
  
"Oh god!" she wept, putting her face in her hands and finally letting the tears flow in great rivers.  
  
"Shh, shh," Remus comforted, going over to Lily and wrapping his arms over her convulsing form. She wept until she couldn't shed any more tears and she was down to dry sobs, when Remus asked her, "Now tell, me, Love, what's the problem?"  
  
"Julia," Lily said, finally taking her face out of her hands and looking at Remus with red, swollen eyes. "Julia Stratford. She - she didn't - she isn't - sleeping with James, is she? Is she?"  
  
"Julia? No of course not! Why would she be sleeping with James? Who gave you that idea?"  
  
"Julia did."  
  
"Julia told you she was sleeping with James?"  
  
"Well, kind of. Or at least that's the impression I got."  
  
"What were her exact words?"  
  
"We were in the Three Broomsticks, having a conversation that turned nasty, then she got up and started waling away, then she turned around and said, 'By the way, James really is a demon in the sack isn't he? Thank him again for that night for me, would you?' and then she walked out."  
  
"What a bitch," Remus said. "I can't believe she did that! I never thought she was like that. What were you two talking about that made her get angry and then say such a thing?"  
  
"You," Lily said quietly.  
  
"Me?"   
  
"She asked for my permission to date you and I told her that she didn't need my consent. Then she asked my opinion and I told her that you were a very secretive person, so she should be careful at not getting angry over that. She was getting angry that I knew everything about you and then I was telling her that you weren't going to tell her certain things. And then she got this demonic glint in her eye and said that she must know every little detail about you, so I told her that you weren't one to be controlled. I said that I was going to warn you and keep my eye on her. And she got hacked off and that's when she said it."  
  
"I can't believe it," Remus said softly. "I thought she was a decent person. I thought she would be someone who wouldn't run from me if I told her all my secrets. She seemed so patient and caring."  
  
"So, did he?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Did James sleep with her?"  
  
"Well, he did have his eye on her at the end of fourth year he after he and Britannia had that break up and before they got back together that summer. And Julia does live a few miles from the Potter mansion and their parents are good friends, so it's highly possible." Remus shrugged. "You'll have to ask him. All I know, is James loves you so much Lily, that whenever you're around, nothing in the world can take his eyes off you. He talks about you all the time and he would never do a thing like cheat on you. I can't even remember the last time he even looked at another woman and said that she was good-looking. You are the only one in his life, and you will be for a long time."  
  
Lily looked at the truth shown in Remus' eyes and she smiled a little and hugged him tightly, then kissed him on the cheek.  
  
"Thank you so much, Remus. I don't know what I'd do without you."  
  
He kissed the top of her head and whispered, "You're welcome. Anytime, my love, anytime."  
  
As he was walking out of the room, he stopped at the piles of glass and porcelain.  
  
"Would you like me to - ?" he asked, drawing out his wand.  
  
"No, no, leave it," Lily answered. "I think I like them better that way. I'll clean up the pieces after I wash my face. Thank you, though."  
  
And Remus exited the room and went down to the common room, where he saw James, Sirius, Peter, and, to his disgust, Julia sitting by the fire and talking about the weather.  
  
Julia's eyes lit up when she saw Remus.  
  
"Hey there, Moony," James said. "What's up?"  
  
"You'd better go talk to Lily," Remus said gravely, giving him a Look.  
  
James nodded and headed up the stairs to the girls dormitories.   
  
Remus then looked at Julia.  
  
"Peter, Sirius, stay here," he said, "I need to talk to Julia."  
  
Julia smiled in anticipation and stood up, but her smile quickly faded when Remus scowled, grabbed her arm almost painfully and walked up the stairs to his dormitory. He pushed her inside, then slammed the door behind him.  
  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" Julia asked, rubbing the red marks on her arms.  
  
"I should be the one to ask you that," Remus retorted.  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I was just talking to Lily. You wouldn't happen to know why I dragged you in here, would you?"  
  
"Is it because I told Lily that you and I made love?"  
  
"Had sex," Remus corrected. "I thought we had made love, but you only used me."  
  
"Used you?" Julia exclaimed. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"What drove you to say such a thing to Lily?" Remus growled. "I can't believe you'd be such a heartless bitch!"  
  
"Me, a heartless bitch?" Julia let out a derisive laugh. "And you think you're any better than I am with all those secrets you plan to keep from me?"  
  
"How do you know that I'd keep them from you?" Remus spat. "You didn't ever give me the chance to get to trust you so I could tell you."  
  
"Trust me? You fucked me, but you can't trust me enough to tell me why you disappear once or twice a month? That's just logical!"  
  
"You insisted!"  
  
"But you didn't object!" Julia put in acidly.  
  
"You didn't give me a choice."  
  
"Whatever! What is it with you? I just don't understand you! Can't you just accept the facts? I slept with James and he liked it. I slept with you and you liked it. I have the right to know things about you. I should know everything about you!"  
  
"If you feel that way, then I deserve to know everything about you. How many guys have you slept with? How many people do you lie to? How many people do you manipulate so they can do your dirty work? How many lives have you destroyed?"  
  
"You have no right to ask me all those questions!"  
  
"Then you have no right to know my secrets!" Remus growled.  
  
"You know what I think it is?" Julia asked, malice exceedingly clear in her voice. "I think you're working for He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named and you're planning the downfall of the good side. I think you're planning to kill all you're friends and family, then get the reward you have awaiting you. You plan to kill me now that I've figured out your plan."  
  
"Is that the best you can do?" Remus asked. The humor getting the best of him, he laughed out loud for a long time.  
  
"Are you laughing because it's the truth?" Julia asked, looking slightly frightened.  
  
"Is it the truth? Ha! I can't believe someone would come up with someone like that. Not even close to the truth!"  
  
"You're not - not working on the Dark Side?"  
  
"No, nor am I mass murderer."  
  
"But I was so sure," Julia said, her eyes questioning Remus.  
  
"You want to know the truth?" Julia nodded. "Well, I go away once a month and I keep a lot of secrets because I - I - am a - a -" Remus took a deep breath. "I'm a werewolf."  
  
Julia's eyes widened. Her mouth parted into what Remus would call a perfect O. Then she let out a bloodcurdling scream.  
  
* * *  
  
James saw the look Remus gave him and left quickly, knowing that look meant that Lily was upset about something. So he got up from his place by the fire and traveled up the stairs to the girls' dormitories, where he found Lily in her dorm bathroom, washing her tearstained face.  
  
"Lily?" James said. "Are you all right?"   
  
Lily dried her face and turned to look at him, her eyes still a little red and puffy.  
  
"I think so. I was just upset."  
  
"Do you want to tell me why?" James asked softly.  
  
"Julia just said some things to me in the Three Broomsticks that made me mad."  
  
"I'm sorry, Sweetie," James said.   
  
He opened his arms and Lily went right into them and hugged him fiercely. He kissed the top of her head and held her tightly. They melted together, slightly swaying in the quietness of the dormitory.  
  
"Can I ask you something, James?" Lily asked after a minute. "It might be kin of personal and you don't have to answer if you don't want to."  
  
"You can ask me anything your little heart desires, my love," James replied. "No secrets should be kept between me and you."  
  
"Did you ever sleep with Julia?"  
  
James looked down into Lily's emerald eyes, and thought hard. He was about to give an answer when the couple heard a horrific scream. They stared at each other with wide eyes, then raced out of the dorm and to the boys' dorm where they found Remus standing by a bed with his head in his hands, Julia cowering at the other end of the room, brandishing a large silver cross, and a questioning Sirius and Peter standing at the door.  
  
"What the hell is going on?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Stay away from me! All of you! Both werewolf and his accomplices!" Julia screamed frantically.  
  
"Julia - " Sirius started, moving towards her.  
  
"I said stay away!" she shouted, brandishing the silver cross again.  
  
"Julia," James said in a deep, firm voice, "put that cross away, it's not going to keep you safe from anything."  
  
"Silver is fatal to werewolves," Julia retorted. "And he should die like the demon he is!"  
  
"Julia!" Sirius yelled, shocked.  
  
Remus sat down on his bed and broke into quiet but wrenching sobs.  
  
"You've been watching too many Muggle horror movies," James said. "You're partially right when you say silver can be fatal to werewolves, but not wholly. You see, silver is only fatal to werewolves when they're in their wolf form, and even then you have to pierce their heart with the silver."  
  
"How - how do you know?" Julia stammered.  
  
"My best friend is a werewolf, how could I not know?" James said. "Now that you know everything about Remus, it's such a pity that you won't be able to remember."  
  
"What are you talking about? How could I forget that I slept with that godforsaken, demonic werewolf?" Julia asked.  
  
"Oh, trust me, you won't remember," James said, malevolence behind both eyes and voice.  
  
The next second was a blur to the people around James. He pulled his wand from behind his back, pointed it at Julia and forcefully said, "Obliviate!" A jet of harsh yellow light erupted from James' wand and hit Julia. James then hit her with a Stunning Spell and Julia slumped to the ground.  
  
Four out of the five stared at their friend in disbelief. Then they turned to look at Julia, lying facedown on the ground.  
  
"She won't remember a thing," James said. "Not even the night you spent with her, Moony. What?" he added, seeing his friends staring at him.   
  
"You just - you - how did you do that?" Sirius spluttered. "Those are very difficult spells to perform."  
  
"Well, my dad was an Obliviator for the Ministry once, and I've been on several calls with him and watched him do it. It's not that hard, really."  
  
"It's against the rules to do it here at school," Peter said. "We break several rules, but I never thought you'd do that one."  
  
"Look, would you rather have her remember that Moony's a werewolf and have her tell the whole school, or would you rather have her wake up and tell her that she hit her head or something?"  
  
"You've got a point," Remus stated slowly.  
  
"Of course I do," James said. "Besides, if no one finds out, we can't get in trouble." Silence. "You guys, this isn't even half as bad as becoming illegal Animagi. If someone found that out, we'd go to Azkaban for ten years minimum. If someone finds out that we put a Memory Charm on a stupid little girl, we'd only get detention. And Dumbledore would have put a Memory Charm on the girl anyhow."  
  
"He's right, guys," Lily finally spoke up. "What people don't know can't hurt them. And this is all for the best anyway. Let's get her back to her bed, and then when she wakes up, we'll tell her a story about why she can't remember if she asks."  
  
"Lily, are you becoming one of us now?" Sirius asked. "I mean, you're becoming a total manipulative person nowadays."  
  
"I don't know, Sirius, I just want to do what's the best, and doing what's best isn't always right."  
  
"Too true, my love, too true," James agreed.  
  
He bent over and picked Julia up and easily carried her to her dorm and placed her in her bed. He pulled the covers over her, pulled her hangings shut, then the Marauders and Prongs' Manipulative left Gryffindor tower to go to the kitchens for some tea.  
  
* * *  
  
As the weeks crept past, James learned more and more about Voldemort's life and the way his mind worked. He would often talk about his mother, but avoided the subject of his father. On this particular day, James and the Dark Lord were sitting by the fire once more, talking about how perfect Voldemort's mother was.  
  
"My mother was perfect," Voldemort said softly for tenth time in the past three weeks. "As much as it seems to you that perfection is impossible, she really was. She was smart, beautiful, kind, caring, and she gave birth to me."  
  
James looked at the Dark Lord, who was staring into the green flames of the fire, and felt a slight pang of pity.   
  
"How do you know that you're not running away with false pretenses?" he asked. "I mean, you never knew your mum, so other from the things she wrote to you in her diary, how could you know that she was beautiful?"  
  
Lord Voldemort turned his gaze to James and considered the question.  
  
"I just know," he said. "The poems and stories and all the things she wrote in her diary told me that she was beautiful - both physically and mentally. I would read it every night when I was at the orphanage."  
  
"How come you were at the orphanage for so long? Why didn't someone adopt you?"  
  
"I didn't want someone to adopt me," Voldemort said in a slight growl. "My mother died giving birth to me, and I viewed it as a way of paying her back. She was my mother and I couldn't replace her. So, when someone was interested in adopting me, I'd do some spells or some accidental magic or I'd tell them the truth that I was a wizard and I could do magic, then all the couples thought I was mad. They didn't want someone who was abnormal. But I got jealous when someone else was going to be adopted, so I would ruin their chances too, make it so they seemed strange. Then the couples would think the whole orphanage was peculiar, so no one would be adopted.  
  
"Then I got my letter to Hogwarts and I went to the Hogwarts castle and I knew friendship, magic, and mischief. I learned about my mother, my heritage, and I never wanted to go back to the orphanage again. But I always went back in the end, Headmaster Dippet wouldn't let me stay. He said that the orphanage wasn't that bad, but he had no idea…he had no idea."  
  
"Didn't you ever think that your mother died on purpose?"  
  
The Dark Lord glared at James for a second before harshly growling, "What do you mean?"  
  
"I mean, maybe she had the Sight and she saw that you were going to become this - this monster, and she didn't want to be blamed for raising you the way she did."  
  
"How can you say that!" spat Voldemort. "My mother died to save me. It was either she or I die, and she wanted me to live. I don't believe that she had the Sight, because she would have seen that if she raised me, I would not have been who I am today."  
  
"Well, then, maybe she had the Sight and saw that if you were raised in a Muggle orphanage, then you would become who you are. Maybe she wanted you to be who you are."  
  
"Sometimes I think that's what it is," Voldemort said. "She was an heir the Slytherin, so she would want me fulfilling Dark purposes."  
  
"But then again, she married a Muggle. What can that say about pure blood?"  
  
"You can't help who you fall in love with, Potter, and even if you could, you'd love the same person for all the same reasons, so you shouldn't even try to not like someone just because they are ostracized by others."  
  
"You know, that's the best piece of advice you've given me in months," James said.  
  
The Dark Lord broke out into a handsome smile that, for once, reached his red snakelike eyes.  
  
"James, don't you see that I'm not as bad a person as everybody thinks I am?"  
  
"Well..." James was about to give a simple yes, which would have been the logical answer at the moment, but instead, remembering all the people he killed and how he kidnapped and nearly raped Lily, he said, in a colder tone, "You've killed hundreds upon hundreds of people, you're no more than a filthy murderer."  
  
Voldemort was shocked - that wasn't what he planned on hearing James say, but it was quite understandable why he said what he did. James wasn't wrapped around his finger - at least not yet.  
  
"Let's change the subject, shall we? And how about a nice drink to warm up our vocal cords more? I have a feeling that we're going to talk a long while more."  
  
Voldemort snapped his fingers and a dazed-looking house-elf appeared out of nowhere and into the room, holding a tray laden with a large bottle of rum and some lemon and cranberry scones. The house-elf set the tray on the small coffee table, bowed so low that his nose almost touched the ground, then disappeared once more.  
  
"Eat, eat," Voldemort said, taking a glass and pouring rum into it. "I've noticed you haven't been eating well lately. Any explanations?"  
  
"I haven't hardly eaten since I've been here," James said simply, actually taking interest in the scones and picking one up.  
  
"But I feed you well, do I not? I mean, I feed you as much as you want, and the grandest things, why do you not eat it? I will not have members of my family eating like peasants."  
  
"Members of your family?" James snorted. "More like servants and pawns for doing your dirty work."  
  
"Do not mock me so, boy," Voldemort spat, "for you will see the wrath of Lord Voldemort if you continue to do so. My servants are my family. They love me, and for a small price of their loyalty, I love them. It's not much to ask."  
  
"Speaking of family, whatever happened to your father? You never speak of him," James asked, taking a glass, pouring rum into it and drinking the brownish liquid in one gulp.   
  
Since he had been detained inside what he assumed was the Dark House, he had gotten drunk every night, knowing that things could only get worse the next day. It would put him to sleep each night and then a shot of vodka in his tea would get rid of the hangover in the morning. James knew that he was becoming dependant on the alcohol, but he didn't care. He actually liked the feeling of peace and warmth that it gave him certainly better than the loneliness and coldness that the dark room he was confined to gave him. And the effects of the drunkenness gave James a far better reason to be drunk than to be sober: dreams of his friends.  
  
He missed his friends more than anything. He missed the way Sirius and he would go to Quidditch practices, and how the four Marauders would play pranks on the Slytherins and their leader Severus Snape. He missed the way the four of them would sneak into Hogsmead, or when it was the full moon, they would run free around the Hogwarts grounds in their Animagi forms, just so Remus wouldn't feel one ounce of loneliness. He missed the way they would laugh and play, the way they cared and shared secrets. He even missed the way they would bicker about the most ridiculous things.  
  
But most of all, he missed Lily.  
  
"My father?" Voldemort repeated, breaking into James' thoughts. "That's one subject you haven't asked on."  
  
"Nor one that you've told me about," James pointed, pouring himself another glass of rum and taking a bite of another scone.  
  
"Hmm...what is there to say?" the Dark Lord said more to himself. "I never knew him, but I know he was a bastard for leaving my mother to die like that. He wasn't any good, but, like I said, you can't help who you fall in love with, and my mother couldn't."  
  
"This 'was' thing..." James started to ask, but Lord Voldemort broke in.  
  
"He's dead now - for sure. How do I know?" The Dark Lord asked, reading the question in James' eyes correctly. "Because I killed him."  
  
"Why do I find that hard to believe?" James asked, sarcasm thick in his voice.  
  
"After I found out what he did to my mother, I had to find him. I just had to." A faraway look crept into the elder wizard's eyes and he stared beyond the flames of the emerald fire. "A few months after I graduated from Hogwarts, I used Muggle means to locate the bastard who left me with his name.   
  
"I found him quite easily. I stood around his mansion, watching the townspeople, seeing if they'd get suspicious if I went up to the door. All seemed well, except for an elderly caretaker who kept glaring at me like he knew I was up to no good. But then a plan formed in my mind. All I had planned to do was confront my father, but when I saw this old man, I knew I could walk right into the house, kill my father and his new family, and it would all be blamed on this one man. I mean, who would believe the old loon who had just returned from the war that there was a seventeen-year-old boy standing on the grounds. It was too perfect to not follow my plans.  
  
"I walked into the house, and I heard laughing and the clank of silverware on china, so I followed the sound into the dinning room. I knew my father before he even saw me. He looked exactly like me - or I should say, I looked exactly like him. His wife looked up from her dinner plate and let out a scream. I pulled out my wand and shut her mouth with a spell.  
  
"'Hello, Mr. Riddle,' I said. 'Or should I say, Father?' He stood up quickly and demanded to know whom I was. 'I am your son, Father,' I replied. His new son, the other Tom Riddle Junior, who looked almost exactly like my father too, got up and started towards me, so I Petrified him.  
  
"'Who the hell are you and what do you want from me?' my father demanded again. 'I am Thomas Marvolo Riddle, son of Gemini Bailey Riddle.' 'How dare you speak that name in my house!' my father shouted. 'Gemini Bailey was a freak! She didn't tell me what she was until after she told me that you were conceived. And I saw what she could do. I saw her move things with her stick of wood, I saw her converse with snakes. It's not natural to be able to do things like that. Magic is the works of the devil!'  
  
"I was completely shocked at the way he was acting. I didn't expect him to welcome me with open arms, but I didn't expect him to downgrade magic in such a way.  
  
"'The devil, eh?' I said. 'I hold more power in this stick of thirteen-and-a-half inch yew than you have in your very bones. The devil you say? I am he, and he is me.'"  
  
The Dark Lord stopped and looked at James, then slowly poured another glass of rum almost to the rim, then swallowed the liquid quickly. He then looked back up at James.  
  
"I killed his wife first," he said, softly, menacingly. "Then his son. I turned to him and said, 'You killed my mother, now I kill you. Goodbye father. I'll see you in hell.' And I killed him.  
  
"That was that. It was over. But what could I do with the rest of my life? My whole life I had been planning revenge on my father, so when I got that sweet revenge, I didn't know what I wanted to do with my life. I decided, after a few more encounters with Muggles, that Muggles and all products of Muggles were the scum of the earth, so I wanted to find others who would help me rid the world of them all. But that is a story we will save for later. You're too drunk to pay more attention, and I'm proud of the way you have been paying attention lately. Two more months until midnight on the day of your birth, then you can receive the Dark Mark." Voldemort stood up and looked at James' eyes, showing hunger for learning more about the elder wizard's past and pity for the things he had gone through. "I know you believe in revenge, so you must understand that I had to kill my father. Do you still believe I'm as bad a person as all people make me out to be?"  
  
James looked away, trying not to look at the Dark Lord as he answered, "You did what you had to - you do what you have to."  
  
Voldemort knew the real meaning of this statement. He knew the answer was no, James didn't think he was a bad person. They both knew, but didn't care to admit, that James was just about wrapped around the finger of the Dark Lord. He would receive the Dark Mark without hesitation and be the most faithful servant if things kept going the way they were. Voldemort's plans to make James trust him were to be achieved by being as fatherly as he could, and to make James feel enough pity for the Dark Lord and himself that he'd willingly give up everything, along with the pain, to work for his Master and get a great and powerful love back. The manipulating was going quite well, and in no time, James would be begging to receive the Dark Mark.  
  
"Goodnight, my son," Voldemort said softly, placing a warm hand on James shoulder. "Sleep well."  
  
The tall, dark, malicious wizard left the room, leaving James to his very confused thoughts.  
  
* * *  
  
"You're leaving me?" Sirius whined. "How could you do such a thing?"  
  
Icilyn rolled over and looked at Sirius' pouting face.  
  
"Easily," she said. "I'm getting on a carriage to Hogsmead station, then I'm getting on the Hogwarts Express to London, then I'm going by Floo Network to my house in Northumberland."  
  
"So you're going to leave me here by myself just like that?"  
  
"Oh, that's what you meant," Icilyn teased. "I have to. Besides, absence makes the heart grow fonder, as they always say."  
  
"There is no way that I can become even more fonder of you, Icy, my love," Sirius whispered, kissing his lover's ear. "Why can't you stay here? We'd have lots of fun. You could hang out with my friends and me. I mean, now that they know about you, you should meet them, shouldn't you?"  
  
"I would love to meet them," the gorgeous Ravenclaw said.  
  
"Then let's go right now," Sirius suggested.  
  
"Okay."  
  
Sirius led the Head Girl to the kitchens and told her to wait there until he came back with his friends. Then he went to Gryffindor tower and collected up James, Peter, Remus, and Lily, and dragged them down to the kitchens.  
  
"She finally wants to meet you guys," Sirius said excitedly.  
  
"Oh, so she didn't want to meet us before?" Lily asked. It seemed to Sirius that she wasn't having a good day.  
  
"Well, it was my idea that she shouldn't meet you guys before now, because...well, because I didn't want to jinx anything."  
  
"So you've said thousands of times, Sirius," James said. "But we're not going to jinx anything or pressure you into anything, you know that."  
  
"So, have you spent the night with her yet?" Remus asked, shooting a sly glance over at his friend.  
  
A big, goofy grin spread across Sirius' face.  
  
"Remus!" Lily exclaimed, shocked. "What is it with you guys and sex? Are your testosterone levels running high again?"  
  
"What is it with you and bitchiness? Are your estrogen levels running high again?" Sirius said.  
  
"Touché," Lily said. "I can't help it if I'm a bitch."  
  
"Nor can we help it when we're assholes," James pointed out.  
  
"Here we are," Sirius said excitedly, tickling the green pear and opening the portrait.  
  
Within the kitchens, there was a gorgeous, raven-haired woman sitting at a small table and gingerly nibbling on a muffin. When her green eyes looked upon the Marauders and Lily, she stood up and smiled widely.  
  
"My love," she said. "My friends."  
  
She walked over to them and hugged Lily, stating, "You're even more beautiful in person."  
  
"As are you," Lily said. "Sirius talks about you all the time."  
  
"You too," Icilyn said.  
  
She next hugged Remus, James, and Peter, and then she took Sirius gracefully into her arms and kissed him lightly on the lips.  
  
"I hardly know your names, and yet I'm hugging you," Icilyn stated. She motioned the five to sit down at the table, and then motioned a house-elf to bring some tea. "But I feel as if I've known you forever. You are the people who have made Sirius he man he is, and I love you all dearly for that."  
  
After they settled down for tea, Remus asked the Head Girl, "So, what are your plans for Christmas hols?"  
  
"Well, first, I'm meeting my mum and dad in Northumberland, then we're headed to my grandmother's house in Paris, then we're going by Muggle means to New York, then stopping in Canada to visit some cousins, then we're stopping in Colorado for some skiing - it's a Muggle sport, where you sled downhill on the snow, standing on two boards - " Icilyn explained, seeing the confused look on all of the faces save Lily's. "Then we're flying to Los Angeles to board a ship and we're cruising to Maui."  
  
"That sounds awesome," Remus said.  
  
"I know," Lily commented. "I've only been to North America a few times, so I'm completely jealous!"  
  
"I think it will be fun, but you never know," Icilyn replied with a slight shrug. "Our holiday trips always turn out disastrous."  
  
The six students talked for over an hour before Sirius announced that he wanted to spend some time alone with his girlfriend. The other four Gryffindors were reluctant to leave, but they hugged Icilyn and Sirius, then left the kitchens and headed for the grounds to walk around the lake and, knowing James, throw a few snowballs.  
  
"Why is it that you wanted to spend this time alone with me?" Icilyn asked.  
  
"Well, I wanted to give you your Christmas gift," Sirius explained lightly.  
  
"I thought we decided that we weren't going to do Christmas presents."  
  
"I know, I lied," Sirius said, grinning.   
  
"But I don't have anything for you," the Ravenclaw started.  
  
"I don't want anything from you, my love," Sirius cooed. "This is just a little gift of appreciation."  
  
"Appreciation?" Icilyn asked. "I don't understand."  
  
"I want to thank you for some of the things that you've given and done for me," Sirius spouted rather poetically. "And what better way to do it than a poem."  
  
"A poem?" Icilyn asked, an anticipated grin spreading across her pretty face. "You wrote a poem?"  
  
"Is there something wrong with that?" Sirius asked, looking confused.  
  
"No, no, no, Siri; I just never thought that you'd write poetry. You're more like a manly-man who's all about Quidditch and drinking beer and whatnot."  
  
Sirius half-glared half-frowned.  
  
"Do you want your poem or not?" he spat, more defensively than he meant to.  
  
Icilyn giggled and pulled him into his arms.  
  
"I'm only joking with you, love, don't go whacko on me," she said softly, still suppressing giggles.  
  
Sirius pulled away, led Icilyn to a chair, sat her down, then stood in front of her and cleared his throat un-nervously.  
  
He then he began his poetry spouting:  
  
  
  
"Oh how I love you, Icilyn, my dear,  
More than pranks, Quidditch, and butterbeer.  
I'll love you when the sunrises and when the sun sets,  
I'll love you forever, and, yet, better it gets.  
Icy, my love, always remember,  
Nothing will change this, not even cold-weather December.   
I think about you all the time,  
So much that it's making me rhyme.  
But forevermore, there's only one thing I will do,  
And that thing is: I Will Always Love You."  
  
  
  
Icilyn squealed in delight and let her tears fall freely down her cheeks.  
  
"I love you so much, Sirius," she cried, getting up and throwing herself at him, wrapping her arms around his neck.  
  
"I love you too, Icy, my love," he said softly, stroking her midnight hair. "I love you too."  
  
  
  
A/N: Thanks for reading. Wow, I never knew that Sirius was a romantic! That kind of developed along the way. Anyway, thanks, again, for all the reviews!  
  
Happy reading wherever your little eyes may take you! ~Lavender 


	6. Dreams

A/N: This one is shorter than some of the other chapters, but it has a lot to say in it, trust me! It is also a little risqué, so virgin eyes beware! Actually, it's really not that bad, but it's not something you're going to see from me too often, unless you like it this way. The contents of this chapter are kind of disturbing also - a lot of sexual innuendos, and sex and just disturbing things. After you read this, you'll probably think that I'm just being silly, but this is more...stuff...than I would normally write. And now I'm just rambling, so - enjoy! ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I would never even dream of claiming Harry Potter's universe as my own, so I bow down the the Great Goddess, creator of the HPverse and creating my life of fanfiction writing.  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Six  
Dreams  
  
  
  
  
December the twenty-fifth dawned a bright and sunny Christmas morning. Lily was asleep in her bed, smiling softly at the visions dancing in her head. James, Remus, and Sirius had crept into her room, which she had to herself, and were going to surprise her with the gift that the three of them, and Peter - who, as usual, had gone home for Christmas - had gotten her. The four of them had spent many hours looking and looking for something that would please their best girl friend, and they finally decided to chip in a few Galleons and buy her something special from all of them.  
  
The three friends watched as Lily slept on, and they dared not to speak a word, for she looked like such an angel, and they had no desire to awaken her. She was lying on her side, her hand pillowing her cheek, her auburn waves flowed gently over the soft skin of her neck and her eyelids twitched as her visions carried her further into dreamland. She shuffled a little and giggled slightly within her sleep.  
  
James, Sirius, and Remus continued to watch her slumber, and Lily continued to giggle and moan at the dancing images within her dreams. The three Marauders glanced inquisitively at each other after each giggle, wondering what she was dreaming about.  
  
"Probably about you, mate," Sirius quietly told James.  
  
No sooner than when Sirius' words were out, Lily let out a seductive moan that sounded suspiciously like, "Remus."  
  
"What!" James whispered, looking bewilderingly at his friends.  
  
Remus was about to say something in his defense when Lily let out another moan - louder this time - that could not be mistaken for none other than, "Sirius."  
  
James turned a sharp gaze to Sirius and was about to say something on the subject when another giggle escaped the woman's lips.  
  
"James," Lily moaned and giggled again. "Relax," she added in a groan, then a little more huskily, "I told you three this would be fun."  
  
The three friends looked at each other in horror, and, without need for words - they were at loss for them, anyway - they turned around and started heading for the door of Lily's dormitory. Once they reached the door, they were startled to a halt when they heard Lily's throaty, carefree laugh.  
  
They turned around as quickly as a tornadoes and saw the redhead sitting up in her bed, doubling over with laughter. She was swiping at her streaming eyes with her sheets and pounding the mattress with the other hand.  
  
"I can't believe you fell for it!" she exclaimed.  
  
"We - we thought you were - were - well...sleeping," Remus said, walking cautiously over to the still-chuckling Lily.  
  
After Lily's laughter subsided, the three Marauders sat on the bed.  
  
"Lily, are you okay?" James asked vigilantly. "You're not one to joke about sex."  
  
"You have to admit, I pulled a prank on the biggest pranksters in Europe," Lily said, shrugging slightly.  
  
"Yeah, but that was just...disturbing," James said, shuttering slightly.  
  
"Not to mention disgusting," Sirius added. "No offense to you, Lils - I meant the part where the three of us…" Sirius broke off and shuttered.  
  
"I'm deeply proud and ashamed of you, Lily," Remus said.  
  
"Happy Christmas to you too, you great prats," Lily said, taking each one of her friends into her arms and hugging and kissing them on the cheeks.  
  
"I still can't believe you did that to us," Sirius said.  
  
"And I still can't believe you three were watching me for over fifteen minutes."  
  
"You were awake the whole time?" James asked.  
  
"I wasn't having very good dreams, so I was barely trying to get back to sleep when you three came in, but I kept my eyes closed, figuring you'd wake me - not watch me."  
  
"We couldn't help it," Sirius said. "You looked just like an angel."  
  
"So I heard you say while you were watching me," Lily commented dryly. "It's very creepy to have someone watching you while you're sleeping. I don't care if I really am asleep, it's just creepy."  
  
"I watch you sleep all the time, Lily, my love," James said.  
  
Lily blushed slightly and said, "Well, that's a bit different. When we're under our circumstances, we can't help but watch each other sleep. Now, if the three of you are watching me sleep, that's something different."  
  
"Can we get off this subject?" Remus asked. "I mean, it is Christmas morning, and we do have gifts to give you."  
  
"That's right," Sirius said. "I reckon that you'd want to open all those presents you've got over in the corner before they disappear."  
  
Lily looked over at the corner that Sirius indicated, finding a heap packages.  
  
"Who are all those from?" she asked.  
  
"Beats me," James said, shrugging. "My guess would be that a few are from your parents, and the rest are from your admirers."  
  
"I've never had so many gifts from people," Lily said.  
  
"Don't lie, Lils," Sirius said. "You know that every year you get several gifts from your admirers."  
  
"Well, let's give Lily her gift now," James said quickly, looking a little putout.  
  
"All right, what did you guys get me? You've got that look on your faces."  
  
"Well," Remus said slowly, "we know how much you miss your family when you are here..."  
  
"And we definitely know you miss us when you're at home," Sirius interjected with a cheesy-yet-handsome grin.  
  
"So, we got you something that will solve this problem," James finished.  
  
Remus pulled out a small, brightly wrapped box and handed it to Lily, who smiled in anticipation and slowly ripped the wrapping to find a velvet box under the paper. She lifted her liquid emerald eyes to her three friends and they nodded, urging her to continue. She opened the box and found a silver pendant with an engraved lily on the front attached to a box-linked silver chain.  
  
"It's a locket," Remus informed.  
  
"But that's not all," James added. "It's charmed so that when you open it, you can think of a person, and the locket will produce an image of the person you want to see."  
  
"And that's not all," Sirius added this time, "it will help you channel the mind of the person you are seeing so you can talk telepathically with them."  
  
Lily gasped.  
  
"You guys!" she squealed. "This is the best Christmas present ever! I know I say that every year, but this one really is it!"  
  
She hugged and kissed each of her friends, including her boyfriend, and then handed them their gifts from her. As they were opening their gifts from her, she decided to open the gifts that were left in the corner of the room.  
  
From her parents, she received a silver and onyx ring that her mother had heard within the Muggle world was useful for the Sight. Lily thought the ring was gorgeous, but after last year, she wanted nothing more to do with the Sight. She also got a few boxes of Honeyduke's sweets from Gryffindors a few years her junior. She received a nice, leather-bound book that compared Muggle chemistry to brewing Potions from Ravenclaw seventh year, Howard Sedan, who was also her ex-boyfriend and now a good friend.  
  
There was one box left under everything else. It was a particularly small box, and it had no card on the outside of it, so she shrugged her shoulders and tore off the wrapping paper. She pulled off the top of the box and found something black and lacy inside.  
  
"What in the bloody hell?" she questioned herself as she pulled it out of the box and examined it.  
  
It was an extremely skimpy looking nightgown that was see-through and would barely cover up her bottom. Along with the nightdress, there was a matching pair of scanty-looking thong underwear. Also, inside the box, were a number of black silk scarves and, what looked like to Lily, a whip that equestrian trainers used on horses.  
  
"Who in the bloody hell? What in the bloody hell?" she said more loudly this time.  
  
The three young men looked over at Lily and gave her a questioning look.  
  
"Didn't get something you wanted?" James asked her, more teasingly than anything else.  
  
"Multiply that by one thousand and you'll see where I'm standing," Lily commented dryly, her lip curling in disgust.  
  
"Why, what is it?" Sirius asked.  
  
"My god," she said shrilly. "Look at them! Look at them all! Which one of you did it? That is not funny at all! I hope that's not your idea of a joke, James. Which one of you did it?"  
  
"Did what?" Remus asked, slightly alarmed.  
  
"Look in the bloody box!" Lily practically screamed, sliding the small box across the floor to her friends.  
  
Remus picked up the box and started to pull out its contents, but he pulled his hand back as if it had been burned.  
  
"Sirius, you did this didn't you?" he asked in a growling tone. "You thought it would be funny, didn't you?"  
  
"I did what?" Sirius asked.  
  
Remus passed the box over to the dark haired Sirius, who took a look inside it and exclaimed, "For god sakes, Remus, I would never send Lily a thing like this, no matter how much I joked about it."  
  
"What is it?" James asked.  
  
Sirius passed the box to James, who was finally brave enough to touch the materials, and he pulled them out of the box and laid them on the bed.  
  
"I sure as hell didn't do it," he said. "Look, there's a note, though."  
  
James pulled out a piece of folded parchment and handed it to Lily.  
  
"'For you to wear,'" she read aloud. "'For Potter or I to enjoy. Yours with all my love, S.S.' Who the hell is that?"  
  
"Let me see," Remus insisted.  
  
Lily handed him the letter and he looked it over. After a few minutes, his eyebrows flew up and he exclaimed, "That bastard!"  
  
"What?" asked James, Lily, and Sirius simultaneously.  
  
"Does a certain greasy-haired Slytherin come to mind when I say Severus Snape?"  
  
"Snape sent her sex toys?" James asked, bewildered. "Why would he do that?"  
  
"Either he's after Lils," Sirius stated, "or he knows what the Dark Lord did and wants to get at her."  
  
"Probably both," James said, looking extremely angered.  
  
"Yeah, how could that Death Eater in-the-making not know about what goes on in Lord Voldemort's life?"  
  
"I'll kill him with my bare hands if I have to," James growled.  
  
"No need for that my friend," Sirius said, a wide, malicious grin spreading across his face as a plan formed in his mind. "Given time, he'll see that he shouldn't mess with the Marauders."  
  
* * *  
  
James was running through a sunflower field, chasing after his giggling lover. She would run far ahead, then hide in a thick clump of the tall, yellow flowers, then spring out at him as he passed, then she'd take off running again. Each time she'd get up, she'd tell James to find her, and he'd get up and run after his giggling girlfriend all over again.  
  
"I could never get tired of this," James whispered in Lily's ear once she tackled him again.  
  
Lily got up and pulled James up with her. She kissed his jaw and his earlobe, the base of his neck and finally his lips.  
  
"James, why do you not like the Dark Lord?"  
  
She asked the question as if she were merely asking why the sky as blue. He looked into her emerald eyes and creased his eyebrows.  
  
"Because, he's an evil man," James replied.  
  
"But James, why do you think he's evil?"  
  
"Because he's done terrible things. I mean, you should know that he's evil by the horrible things he did to you."  
  
"I don't understand. Can you explain it to me?"  
  
Again, her tone had the air of simply asking to explain how the water cycle worked.  
  
"Do you not think he's evil?" James asked this time.  
  
Lily shrugged and rubbed her hands on James' back.  
  
"How could you not think Voldemort is evil? How could you not think that he's sick and perverted for all the things he's done. All the people he's killed are innocent! How can you not see that he is a monster?"  
  
"Do you love me, James?" Lily asked.  
  
"Of course I love you," James replied. "I could never not love you - you know that, right?"  
  
"Would you do anything for me, James?"  
  
"I'd do anything for you, Lily, my love," James replied, kissing Lily softly.  
  
"Would you die for me? Would you kill for me?"  
  
An alarmed look crossed James' countenance, and he opened his mouth to ask where all her questions were coming from, but she continued.  
  
"Would you poison Dumbledore for me?" she asked, her hands starting to roam places on James' body that made his heart rate increase. "Would you hack Sirius into little pieces? Would you break into the Ministry of Magic? Would you torture Muggles? Would you get bitten by Remus?"  
  
James' mind was clouding over from Lily's intoxicating scent and her exhilaratingly cold hands roaming over his now-bare skin. Lily had very skillfully removed James' robes and everything under them. His breathing became ragged and he moaned as Lily kissed him fiercely, her mouth seemingly burning his, searing his lips and tongue. Her cold hands pulled him closer, her hips grinding against his. It took all the power James had down to his very bones to keep himself from ripping Lily's robes off. Her mouth was entangled with his, but her hands were moving up and down his body, awakening senses and places he never thought were sensitive. The mere touch of her hand on his shoulder made his heart jump and his cheeks flush. It made him want to bow down to her every caress - claim her the queen of all erotica.  
  
"James?" Lily moaned against his mouth. "Would you join the ranks of the Voldemort for me?"  
  
James only moaned as Lily's mouth traveled elsewhere.  
  
"Would you offer your soul to Dark Lord for me?"  
  
Her lips went further down his body, leaving a trail of fire-like kisses, she worked her way back up and kissed his mouth again, grinding her hips against his again, her cold hands brushing over his chest and through his hair. She pushed him onto the ground, pulled up her robes, and sat on his stomach; his breathing becoming even more ragged as the seconds passed by. She seemed in no rush to move any further, but he didn't know how much longer he could take it.  
  
"Lily," he breathed desperately.  
  
"Say it," she said, teasing James with the movements of her body on his. "Say you will offer your soul to the Dark Lord, and I'll give you what you want."  
  
"Lily, I - I can't -"  
  
"Say it!"  
  
A wicked glint crossed in Lily's emerald eyes, and she smiled malevolently. Her eyes boring into his, her hands brushing over his chest, her hips swaying lightly over his tight stomach.  
  
"Lily, you know I would never -"  
  
"Do it for me, James. Give Lord Voldemort complete control. Give him your soul. Do it for me, James. Just say it."  
  
Her scent, her voice, her body against his once again intoxicated James. To say no would be to end her. Somehow he knew that if he denied her, she'd be gone forever.  
  
"Say it, James," she whispered in his ear. "Tell me you'll live and breathe for our Dark Lord."  
  
He couldn't take it any longer. Her body pressed against his, and her smell, her eyes burning with innocence. He couldn't wait any longer; he had to have her. He couldn't let her down by turning her down either. His desire to make her happy and his physical desires got the better of him and he let go of all logic and reasoning and said, "I'll do it. I'll offer my soul; every breath I take will be for our Dark Lord and all Dark purposes."  
  
The smile that spread across Lily's face was both pleased and fiendish. She stood very businesslike, snapped her fingers, and James found himself bound by several ropes.  
  
"What are you doing?" James asked frantically.  
  
"You've promised your soul to my master," she said her voice deeper than normal. "When that happens, you belong to him. To let everyone know that you belong to him, you shall bear his mark."  
  
She pressed her finger against his inner left forearm and he felt a burning sensation. He looked at his arm and saw the flesh melting away, bubbling as if acid had been poured onto his skin. The acrid smell of burning flesh made his eyes water.  
  
"You sold your soul, James, it's done," she said, looking satisfied at the Dark Mark on James' arm. "You can't get out, you made me a promise and don't you ever forget it."  
  
And then the redheaded woman disappeared, and James was left, naked and tied down, lying on the dirt in the sunflower patch.  
  
* * *  
  
James woke with a start, his breathing not far from hyperventilating. He couldn't breathe; he rolled over and vomited violently over the side of the chair several times.  
  
Coughing and spluttering, he finally got a chance to catch his breath and look around the room, memories of both the dream and the truth coming back to him as his eyes took in the gloomy, stone room. The memories of both his dream and the truth came rushing back to him. The dream had felt so real to him.  
  
You promised, he could hear Lily's voice in his head. He couldn't understand why Lily would do such a thing to him. It was a dream, but it made his heart ache.  
  
"It's because she doesn't realize," a voice reached James' ears and he turned to see the Dark Lord standing at the doorway, holding a tray of what looked like tea, bagels, and whiskey, and a house-elf carrying a mop in tow.   
  
"What?" James asked in a growl. Lord Voldemort was not someone he wanted to see right at the moment.  
  
The Dark Lord handed the tray to James, then ordered the house-elf to clean the vomit off the floor. "Happy Christmas, by the way." As soon as that was done and the house-elf disappeared, the Dark Lord repeated, "It's because she doesn't realize that Lucius is not you. That's what makes your heart ache."  
  
"How did you - " James started to ask.  
  
Voldemort tapped his temple.  
  
"I can see and feel the things you feel strongly."  
  
"Did you see -"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I did. And I'd rather not have." He grinned, which didn't reach his cold, red eyes. "Practically horrifying, James, but that Mudblood is hot."  
  
James glared at the elder wizard, who laughed heartily.  
  
"James, James," he said, clapping him on the back, "I'm only joking; you know, shits and giggles."  
  
"Yeah? Well it's kind of hard to have 'shits and giggles' right now, wouldn't you think so?"   
  
The tall, dark wizard sighed.  
  
"Whatever. Eat your breakfast."  
  
"I'm not hungry," James said dully.  
  
"Eat!" Voldemort commanded.  
  
"I just threw up all over the goddamn floor, how could I even think of eating?"  
  
"I love your bitterness, James," Voldemort chuckled. "So young and naïve, yet so experienced and learned."  
  
"That made complete sense," James replied dryly.  
  
"I remember when I was just like you. In my seventh year at Hogwarts, I thought I was invincible, just like you do; I was Head Boy, just like you will be -"  
  
"How do you know? Sirius and I are about the same in smarts."  
  
"Because you got twelve OWLs and Black only got eleven. Besides, you will be - and I never break a promise."  
  
"I don't need your help, thanks," James replied sardonically. "I just couldn't feel good about my position if I knew you were blackmailing someone to get me there. Besides, if I'm stuck here, there's no way I can go back to school."  
  
"Ah, now I'm disappointed that you didn't get my purpose of having you here."  
  
"Obviously I didn't."  
  
Voldemort rolled his eyes.  
  
"James, common sense, my son, that's all there is to it. You'll receive the Dark Mark, you'll go back to Hogwarts, switch places with Lucius once more, and no one will ever notice. But there is a catch," Voldemort added, seeing the confused look on James' face. "When you are Head Boy, you will be working with Dumbledore more often. I want you to get the scope on him; you're going to find out everything about him and about the castle's defense system - that I don't already know, of course - and you'll report back to me. With your brains and that ingenious Marauder's Map you have, you're going to find passage ways and spells that will get me into the castle, where we - you, me, and my other faithful followers - will attack. We will start with all the Mudbloods, then those who refuse to follow me, then we will go to Dumbledore. Of course, that's the shortened version of the plan, but you should now get the gist of what your job is."  
  
"I understand," James said.  
  
"Good!"  
  
"But, I don't like the idea of killing all the Mudbl - I mean, Muggle-borns."  
  
"And why is that?"  
  
"We can't kill Lily. She's the only one I ask that you spare."  
  
"You're asking me if I can spare her?" Voldemort let out a derisive laugh. "You can spare her if you want, for you're the one who's going to be killing the Mudbloods."  
  
"I don't understand."  
  
"Son, you can't just come into my ranks without earning the title."  
  
"How do you mean?"  
  
"You have to work your way up; you have to prove yourself to me. I give you a task, and you complete it - simple as that. The task I have chosen to give you is that you kill all the Mudbloods - well, save one anyway. I can't believe you - you're still hanging onto Lily when I've offered you so many women who are pureblooded and are on the same side as you. And don't tell me you haven't at least taken one of them."  
  
James looked the Dark Lord in the eye and answered the query.  
  
"I love Lily. Even if I had taken one of those whores you call women, I still wouldn't be satisfied. Lily is the only one I'll ever need - that's something you probably won't understand."  
  
"Now that's where you're wrong."  
  
James scrutinized Lord Voldemort's face. The red eyes showed a hint of both happiness and grief, and he suddenly noticed how old the Dark Lord looked, despite all the precautions he had taken to not age. James noticed that he didn't have any wrinkles or bags under his eyes, but he had the aura of being old, experienced. From the stories he had told James, he had seen a lot in life, and had been through a great deal. James had rapidly felt respect for the elder wizard, who really did have reasons for being the way he was, even though he was evil.  
  
But when he thought about it, James knew that Voldemort wasn't evil per se, it was more like taking revenge out on society for all the things society had done to him. If James was raised in an orphanage without his mother, and his father wanted nothing to do with him, people called him a freak all his life because he was "abnormal" and was teased for being able to converse with snakes, and the world had dragged away everything he had ever loved, it would make him want to get the vengeance he deserved.  
  
James listened intently as the Dark Lord launched into another story.  
  
"You've been here nearly three months, right?" James considered the question, then nodded. "And I've told you practically my whole life's story. But there has been one thing that I have avoided mentioning. Until now, I was never going to tell you, or anyone else for that matter. This has only been known between myself and Dumbledore."  
  
"Dumbledore?" James asked, slightly taken aback.  
  
"Yes, that's right," Voldemort said. "In my seventh year, I was taken with an incredibly brilliant-minded Ravenclaw."  
  
"You liked a Ravenclaw?" James asked incredulously.  
  
"This woman was amazing. She was going into medicine after Hogwarts. She was going to get her Muggle medicine license, then she was going to open her own hospital in a large wizarding town in Ireland. She had it all planned out - until she met me.  
  
"I asked her to the Yule Ball, and she accepted. I'm still not sure why she did, either, maybe it was because I was the Hogwarts Champion for the Triwizard Tournament. Then again, she could have been taken with me too…I still haven't figured it out.  
  
"Anyway, we went to the ball, and we had a wonderful time, she was awed at how a Slytherin could treat someone outside their own House that well. Of course, back then, we didn't have the whole Slyhterin-versus-Gryffindor yet. We were still indifferent about one another, but our personalities clashed. But that's beside the point. After that, we'd meet up in corridors and such, go to Hogsmeade together, and I fell hard for this girl. Nearing the end of our seventh year, I asked her the most inevitable question anyone could when they're in love."  
  
"You asked her to marry you?"  
  
"That I did." The Dark Lord sighed, smiled, and then looked at the fireplace, as he so often did when he was telling his stories.  
  
"Was she beautiful?"  
  
"Looks are only skin deep, James," Voldemort said, giving James a disapproving look. He turned back to the fireplace. "But yes, she was rather gorgeous.  
  
"She agreed to marry me and we were wed right after graduation. We both went off to Muggle College, her field in medicine, mine in psychology and sociology.  
  
"Now I know that you're going to ask me why I studied psychology and sociology when I have no like for people. The answer is, I wanted to learn everything I could about the human mind. I wanted to know why people were the way they were. And I especially wanted to know what made my father and all other society dump their burdens on me."  
  
"Did it help?" James asked.  
  
"Of course it helped," Voldemort said quickly. "And I loved it. A few years passed and my wife and I had school finished, she was a doctor, and I had a doctorate degree in psychology. Of course, my wife wanted to live her dream and build her hospital in Ireland, so she went for a visit, while I stayed in London.  
  
"I was reading up on a few subjects, when a thought came to my mind. No one knew exactly why feelings like fear and joy occurred, and, my ambition getting the better of me, I wanted to go out and do a little study of my own."  
  
"What did you do?"  
  
"Harsh things that I will never do again," the wizard answered gravely. "You think I'm harsh now, but those things hardly compare to what I did then. And I suppose that I liked it. It gave me a rush of adrenalin to have humans bowing down at my feet, begging for mercy, and I wanted more. I tried curses and hexes, but a thought crossed my mind that they'd be begging for mercy even more, and I could get them to comply to my every whim if I used bigger curses. Unforgivable Curses.  
  
"That's how I became Lord Voldemort. I had always used the name when I was in school, but that was just kiddy stuff. I was no longer Tom Marvolo Riddle, but Lord Voldemort, the one of all evil."  
  
"What does this have to do with Dumbledore?" James asked cautiously.  
  
The Dark Lord glared at him for a second, then said, "Well, while my wife was in Ireland, she was busy building her hospital - or so I thought.   
  
"She would owl me everyday and tell me how the hospital construction was going and such, and I Apparated to Ireland to surprise her. There was no sight of a hospital being built, so I asked around the wizarding town, only to find that nobody had heard of a hospital being built in the area. But this one wizard came up to me and gave me a commiserating look. 'I think I know who you're talking about,' he said to me. 'I saw this here woman walking down the street hand-in-hand with a tall bloke with long red hair and a long red beard.'"  
  
Voldemort looked at James and saw the blank expression in his eyes.  
  
"Don't you get it?" he asked. "Dumbledore had long red hair and a long red beard before it all turned silver!"  
  
The realization spread across James' face and he exclaimed, "Dumbledore was sleeping with you wife?"  
  
"When I confronted him, he wanted to talk things out. Said he loved her more than anything in the world. I had trusted him beyond all reason, and then that? He even went to the wedding! I was livid. I mean, you can imagine, can't you? How would you feel to find out that Lily was sleeping with one of the people you trust the most? You wake up one morning and find that Lily just fucked around with Sirius Black? How would you feel?"  
  
"I'd kill myself," James said slowly. "I couldn't go on living knowing that I was betrayed by the people I loved the most."  
  
"That's one of the differences between me and you," Voldemort said. "You thought of taking the nice-guy route first and opted for killing yourself. But in my case, I felt the adrenalin rush and do you know what the first thought that came to my mind was?"  
  
"Kill Dumbledore?"  
  
"Exactly. I pulled out my wand and was about to do the Avada Kedavra curse, but, my wife jumped in front of Dumbledore, and took the full blow of the curse. She died to save him. I was shocked. I watched my wife's lifeless body fall to the ground, I watched as Dumbledore sunk to the ground and cried over her. I stood there, stunned. And when my senses came back to me, I Apparated the hell out of there.  
  
"I had never killed before - Imperius, yes, Cruciatus, when I had to, but never did I kill. And I had just killed my own wife!"  
  
"Did you ever find out why Dumbledore was sleeping with your wife?"  
  
"That was the next thing I did," the Dark Lord said softly. "I learned that my wife had been given up for adoption - that was one of the reasons I was drawn to her - when she told me that, I knew she was the one. Anyway, I learned that she went to a Muggle family, but she found her adoption records and found that her biological mother was a witch. While she was in Ireland, she visited her biological mother's side of the family, and they surprised her by bringing her to her biological father, who was staying there at the time."  
  
"Oh my god," James said heavily, realizing what Voldemort was trying to get across.  
  
Voldemort nodded immensely, his cold eyes still on the fireplace.  
  
"Dumbledore was my wife's biological father."  
  
* * *  
  
  
A/N: I hope you enjoyed it. Reviews? Anything I can change? Suggestions? Anything is welcome!   
  
Happy reading wherever your little eyes may take you!  
  
~Lavender 


	7. Revelations

A/N: I do hope you like this chapter. Plans and actions come into play. I don't really know what to think of this chapter, so you're going to have to give me the inside. Enjoy! ~Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the HPverse, and if I did, I'd spend all my time there - hell, I already spend all my time there writing these fanfics!  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Seven  
Revelations  
  
  
Remus sat quietly in the corner, watching Julia Stratford working on her Transfiguration homework.  
  
"How come I don't remember doing this?" she asked her fellow Gryffindor fifth-year.   
  
"I don't know, you were there that day, and you were one of the first ones to Transfigure it correctly."  
  
Remus sighed heavily. Having James put that Memory Charm on Julia was a Godsend, but it made him feel low and dirty like a Death Eater. Julia had gone back to being his friend, but she didn't remember that Remus had asked her to kiss Sirius, or anything else after that, for that matter.  
  
As Remus watched her beautiful figure, he couldn't help but feel butterflies in his stomach. He wondered if he went and talked to her and somehow they got together, would she act the way she did while talking to Lily? Would she react the way she did when he told her his secret?  
  
Many a night he had lay awake, staring at the crimson velvet hangings above his head, wondering what would happen if he told Julia how he felt about her.  
  
"She's not worth it, Remus," a voice whispered in his ear.  
  
Remus started and looked up to see Lily standing next to him, looking in the direction he had been only seconds before.  
  
"What?" he managed to stutter.  
  
"I saw you looking over there, love, and she's not worth it," Lily repeated. "If she did it once, she'll do it again. Find someone worth your time."  
  
Remus gave her a questioning look.  
  
"Remus, I love you, and I don't want to see you get hurt - again, for that matter."  
  
"You love me?" Remus asked teasingly. "You should have said something earlier!"  
  
"Yes, Remus, I love you so much! Let's go up to my dorm right now and shag!"  
  
The two laughed, then Remus sobered and glanced at Julia once again.  
  
"You're right, Lily," he said softly. "For once, I think I fell for someone only for their beauty. She does have a good brain, too. Top ten in her year, she told me, but that may have been a lie. You never know. But thank you for looking out for me, Lily. I couldn't ask for a better friend."  
  
He raised himself up a little to kiss Lily's cheek. If only she wasn't James' he thought.  
  
"Do you know where James and Sirius have gone off to?" Lily asked.  
  
"I haven't the faintest," Remus replied. "But I seem to recall that it had something to do with a few dungbombs and the third floor corridor."  
  
"That's great," Lily said dryly. "When is that boy going to learn?"  
  
"Beats me. It's fun, you know, but it's not how I want to spend my Sunday afternoon, nor my free time after classes for a detention."  
  
"Speak of the devil," Lily said as she watched two tall, dark-haired Gryffindors waltz through the portrait hole. "What have you two been up to? Do I even want to know?"  
  
"Not much, my love," James said, kissing Lily on the cheek. "We were just down on the Quidditch pitch."  
  
Both Remus and Lily could tell that there was more involved, but they didn't comment on it.  
  
"I've got to get Potions homework done," Sirius said. "Christmas hols is about to end, so I better get a move on."  
  
"I still can't believe you've let your homework go unfinished until now," Lily semi-scolded her friends. "Term starts tomorrow and you haven't even looked at your homework."  
  
"And I suppose you've finished?" Sirius asked.  
  
Lily rolled her eyes.  
  
"As a matter of fact, I have," she said. "When does Peter get back?"  
  
"The Hogwarts Express is expected to arrive at seven-thirty," Remus informed.  
  
"I'm going to take a bath," Lily announced.  
  
"Thanks for informing us," Sirius said dryly.  
  
"I'll pack that away for useful later information," James said, grinning widely. "Maybe I'll make a visit to you after my homework's finished."  
  
"That would be lovely," Lily replied, shooting at glare at the teasing looks Sirius and Remus were giving her.  
  
She then exited Gryffindor tower and headed to the girls' prefect bathroom.  
  
She filled the tub with purple, scented bubbles, slipped her robes off and climbed into the tub. The hot water relaxed her tense muscles. Why they were tense, she knew not, but the water rejuvenated her, making her feel as if she were a new woman.  
  
After a few minutes of water treading, Lily got bored, and decided to test out her Channeling Locket to find James and tell him to get his arse to the girls' prefect bathroom.  
  
Lily grabbed the necklace, opened it up, and said, feeling rather foolish, "Show me James."  
  
The necklace glimmered bright silver and the faces of the inside shimmered, then showed a picture of a black-haired wizard.  
  
"James," Lily thought. "Where are you? I'm bored - come here and play with me."  
  
The image of James looked around the unfamiliar room.  
  
"Where's that voice coming from? Is this one of your tricks again?" Lily saw James saying.  
  
"One of my tricks?" Lily asked telepathically. "James, where are you?"  
  
"Lily?" She saw him speak aloud again. He looked around the room again, then shook his head. "It's nothing...I must be hearing voices."  
  
"James Alan Potter, how could you even think of telling yourself that this isn't me when you know I'm using the Channeling Locket."  
  
Lily saw James put his hands on his temples.  
  
"Just give me a drink," he said. "That'll make the voices go away....Yes, I know alcohol can't make me forget everything, but since I've been here, my becoming smashed is the part of my day I look forward to....Scotch will be fine...."  
  
Lily shut the locket, and got out of the tub.  
  
What the hell? Lily asked herself while drying off. That couldn't have been James, he's in the common room with Sirius and Remus.... This thing must be defective. Next time I'm in Hogsmead, I'll ask a jeweler to fix it....  
  
* * *  
  
James sat in the corner of the Dark House with Lord Voldemort, who was telling him about his days in Siberia with his Death Eaters, when a clear, feminine voice rang out in his ears.  
  
"James, where are you? I'm bored - come here and play with me."  
  
"What?" James asked.  
  
"I said, it was cold in Siberia that morning, James, you really should be listening o you can know what to prepare for," the Dark Lord said.  
  
"Where's that voice coming from? Is this one of your tricks again?" James asked, looking around the room.  
  
"One of my tricks? James, where are you?"  
  
"Lily?"  
  
"Are you all right, James?"  
  
"It's nothing....I must be hearing things."  
  
"James Alan Potter, how could you even think of telling yourself that this isn't me when you know I'm using the Channeling Locket," Lily's voice said.  
  
James' hands flew to his temples, and he massaged them.  
  
"Just give me a drink," he said. "That'll make the voices go away."  
  
"Alcohol's not going to make you forget."  
  
"Yes, I know alcohol can't make me forget everything, but since I've been here, my becoming smashed is the part of my day I look forward to," James said bitterly.  
  
"Fine," the elder wizard sighed. "What do you want?"  
  
"Scotch will be fine."  
  
Voldemort a glass of scotch to James, who downed it in ten seconds.  
  
"I'm fine now," he said.  
  
Voldemort looked at him skeptically, but nodded all the same.  
  
"Perhaps you need a nap before I continue my story," he said.  
  
James nodded, and leaned his head on the back of the chair.  
  
"You have a bed, you know," Voldemort said, looking in the direction of the king-sized canopy bed that hadn't been slept in for months.  
  
"I know," James said simply.  
  
And not another word was spoken between the two wizards.  
  
* * *  
  
Lily tossed and turned in bed all night. She hadn't spoken with James, and when he tried to converse with her, she claimed she wasn't feeling well, and traveled off to her dorm, where her thoughts bothered her like none before. She couldn't get the James she had seen in the Channeling Locket out of her head. His hair was short, his stubble was long, he had black circles around his eyes, and he was asking for an alcoholic drink when Lily knew James had never drank liquor any harder than butterbeer.  
  
His words...why were they so weird? she kept asking herself. Surprised, confused, and a hint of anger had come through them, as he didn't think her voice was real. Malfunctioning? she wondered. We'll see about that.  
  
She grabbed the Channeling Locket, opened it, and concentrated on seeing James Potter. The locket glowed silver, then formed a picture of James Potter sleeping in a green armchair by a glowing-green fire. His hair was short and his beard was long. He had beads of sweat forming on his brow, and he called out something incomprehensible, shifting slightly. She watched him for a few minutes, her brow furrowing with confusion. He tossed on the uncomfortable-looking chair and called out again, "Lily!"  
  
"James," Lily thought, trying to 'sound' soothing.  
  
James' eyes opened, revealing cold, black pieces of coal in the middle of rivers of blood as his eyes were extremely bloodshot. He sat up in the chair.  
  
"James," Lily thought again.  
  
"Lily?" he said aloud, looking around the room. "Is that you, Lily?"  
  
"Of course it's me," Lily thought. "Who else has a Channeling Locket?"  
  
"Channeling Locket?" James asked, still looking around. "Good god, I'm hearing things."  
  
"James, are you okay?"  
  
"Bloody hell! What kind of a question is that? I'm going loony - I've been away from her too long and my mind is producing her voice."  
  
"James," Lily said cautiously, "where are you?"  
  
"Oh, that's rich! Where am I? I should just go back to sleep." This answer was a thought, but Lily could still hear it. She watched as James crossed the room he was in and laid down on a big bed. "Big day ahead of me tomorrow - all I have to look forward to is another one of Voldemort's stories."  
  
"Voldemort?" Lily asked.  
  
"God, could you stop pestering me?" James thought. "I have enough to deal with having horrid dreams about Lily, why does a part of my brain have to sound like her too?"  
  
"James, what's wrong with you?" Lily asked, close to tears. "How can you not remember the Channeling Locket you guys gave me for Christmas? Where are you? You're not in any of the rooms at Hogwarts are you? And how did your beard get so long when I only saw you a half hour ago?"  
  
James sat up abruptly and swore colorfully.  
  
"Lily?" he thought. "Is that really you?"  
  
"Why wouldn't it be me?" she thought back.  
  
"Oh my god! Lily! You - you - oh my god - I - I - " James put his head in his hands and started sobbing. "I thought I'd never hear your voice again! I - I - Lily!"  
  
"Are you all right, James?" Lily thought. "Where are you?"  
  
"The James you saw a half hour ago is not the real James," he thought. "He's an imposter."  
  
"What?" Lily asked aloud, then cringed, hearing her dorm mates shift in their beds.  
  
"That James Potter is really Lucius Malfoy," James thought slowly.  
  
"That's not funny. Where are you?"  
  
"I'm not trying to be funny." Lily shrank back, hearing the growl in James' voice. "I can't believe you - of all people - haven't noticed."  
  
"What are you talking about?"  
  
"I'm fucking stuck here in the Dark House with Lord Voldemort, who frankly gives a damn about me more than you do," James spat. "I've been here since the end of fucking October, Lily, how could you not notice that the James at Hogwarts isn't the real one? Did you not see any difference? Did you see a difference but choose to ignore it? It's been three months and you didn't notice even one thing?"  
  
"James, I - I did notice things, I just - it's just that I thought you were going through some odd stages in your life - I went through mine, so I thought it was fair to let yours run your course..."  
  
"Run its course?! You didn't even question him?"  
  
"I did at first, but - "  
  
"But nothing," James said firmly. "You didn't notice, that's all there is to it."  
  
"James, where is the Dark House? I'm coming to get you."  
  
"Don't bother," James said. "I've made it this far without you, I think I can make it the rest of my life. Maybe I'll look you up when I'm a high-circle Death Eater. We'll have tea." The sarcasm cut through Lily like a knife. Her eyes filled with tears. "Goodbye, Lily."  
  
"James - "  
  
"Goodbye."  
  
And she was blocked out. He cut off her mind from his and his image disappeared in the locket. Tears were running freely down her cheeks, and she thought about going to see James, whom she knew was safe in his dorm and he'd calm her and tell her she had been having a nightmare. But she knew it was no nightmare. That James Potter in the unfamiliar room was the real James Potter. She could not go to he-who-called-himself-James-Potter. But a thought struck her and she crawled silently out of bed and tiptoed to the sixth year boys' dorm and pulled back the hangings on one of the beds.  
  
A tousle-haired Sirius Black looked up at Lily in the darkness.  
  
"Lily?" he whispered. "You've got the wrong bed, James' is the next one over."  
  
"No - I - I wanted to see you," Lily whispered back.  
  
"Me?"  
  
"Shh. We've got to get out of here - I'll explain when we're somewhere safe."  
  
Sirius gave Lily a questioning look, then saw the tearstains on her cheeks in the moonlight that crept from the window and nodded. He crawled out of bed, grabbed the Invisibility Cloak, threw it over them, then followed Lily out of Gryffindor tower, a long way through the castle and finally ending in the girls' prefect bathroom.  
  
Lily pulled off the cloak, muttered a few spells to make sure the door was locked and no one was eavesdropping, then turned to Sirius and broke down, her sobs wracking her whole body.  
  
Sirius pulled her into his arms. "What's the matter, Lils?" he cooed.  
  
"It's James," she sobbed. "I - I - oh god, he doesn't love me anymore and I've been totally stupid!"  
  
"What?" Sirius asked. "That's not true, Lily - that's anything but true and you know that."  
  
"You don't understand," Lily cried. "I was using the Channeling Locket and I - I saw James - the real James - not the one who's been here at Hogwarts with us for three months, but the one who's been kidnapped by Voldemort and kept in the Dark House for three months."  
  
Sirius held Lily at arm's length. "What are you talking about?"  
  
"The Channeling Locket wouldn't lie to me! James and I had a row - I told him I was going to get him, but he told me not to bother because I hadn't even noticed that Lucius Malfoy was not him and he said he had made it that far without me, he could make it the rest of his life without me. And it's all because I've been stupid - so fucking stupid!"  
  
Sirius was taken aback, for he had never heard Lily use such language, but he got over his shock and decided to try to get Lily to explain.  
  
"Lily, what are you talking about? Where does Lucius Malfoy come into this?"  
  
"He's James, Sirius, he's James! Polyjuice Potion. Don't you see? How could I have not seen? Now James is going to become a Death Eater because he was taken away from me and I didn't even realize that he was not him."  
  
"Lily, are you sure you weren't just having a nightmare?"  
  
"Yes, I'm sure!" Lily shouted. "Look for yourself!"  
  
She pulled the Channeling Locket off her neck and handed it to Sirius, who eyed it suspiciously. He looked back up at Lily and saw her pleading look, making his stomach churn, seeing the truth in her eyes, and he opened the locket.  
  
"Show me the real James Potter," he said quietly.  
  
For the second time that night, the locket glowed a silvery light and an image of the shorthaired, long-bearded James Potter appeared.  
  
"Bloody hell, Lily, I told you I didn't want to talk to you again! Stay out of my brain! I know you're there - I can feel your presence," James growled into the darkness of the room he was in.  
  
"James?" Sirius said aloud.  
  
"What did he say?" Lily asked.  
  
Sirius paid no attention to what Lily said, and repeated his words towards James. "James, where are you?"  
  
"Now you're in my brain too, are you Sirius Black? I've had enough of you all! You don't even notice I'm gone and now, all of a sudden, you want to help me? Well you know what? I bloody well think I'm going to like being a Death Eater - at least they'll care for me and notice when I'm not around. I have a new family now, Sirius, and it consists of my new father and lord, Voldemort, and his followers."  
  
"James, you know that's not what you want," Sirius said slowly.  
  
"How the bloody hell do you know what I want, Black? You sure as hell can't tell the difference between myself and Lucius Malfoy, so what makes you think you know me?"  
  
"You are my best friend, James."  
  
"Oh yeah, why don't you waste your flattery and time on someone who will give a shit - frankly, I don't care," James spat. "Stay out of my brain."  
  
And the image of James Potter disappeared, leaving both Lily and Sirius to silence and tears.  
  
Without any hesitation, Sirius looked at Lily, wrapped her in a hug, and consoled her. "We'll get him," he said softly, trying not to let his voice crack from the tears. "That's a promise."  
  
Lily nodded, and squeezed Sirius, then turned and sat down on the tiled floor.  
  
"We're going to have to formulate a plan," she said determinedly. "Now, I don't know where the dark house is, but you do and I know the insides of it. We've got to get to him."  
  
"Lily, you have no idea how dangerous this is," Sirius said softly. "I know you're worried about James and his safety, but James sounded like he could take care of himself for a while - it's going to take a long time to figure out a plan. Our question is, do we tell Dumbledore or not?"  
  
"No - we can't," Lily said quickly.  
  
"And why not? It would be the logical thing to do, wouldn't it?"  
  
"Well, I suppose so," she replied, pulling Sirius' down next to her. "I don't know why we wouldn't...."  
  
"I guess we could save that for when the time comes," Sirius suggested.  
  
"Right." Sirius looked around the bathroom, then looked into Lily's emerald eyes. "I promise you on my life that we will bring James back here, if it's the last thing I do," he said softly, knowing he would rather die than see one ounce of sadness on this young woman's face. He leaned down and brushed his lips lightly against hers, sealing his promise with the passing of his lips over hers. "We will get him - this, I promise you."  
  
* * *  
  
"Would you come take a walk with me, Lily, my love?" 'James' asked Lily one cold, January morning. "Tonight, we can go out about the edges of the forest and watch the moon rise."  
  
Lily smiled, being careful not to show her nervousness, and agreed. She then looked at Sirius, and he nodded, encouraging her to go. 'James' turned to Remus to converse about Quidditch, and Sirius leaned over and whispered to Lily.   
  
"You have to stop being so anal around him, he'll figure out that you know."  
  
"Sirius, are you nuts? He'll attack me the moment he gets the chance."  
  
Sirius let out a quiet, derisive laugh.  
  
"Has he attacked you since he's been here in three months?"  
  
"Well, no," Lily answered rather sheepishly.  
  
"See. He doesn't want you to figure it out, so he'll act just like James until it's time for him to go back."  
  
"Sirius, what if he wants to - to - you know?" Lily asked, turning pink.  
  
"You have for three months, I don't see what's so different about it now."  
  
"Sirius!" Lily hissed. "That was before I knew. Now that I know, it would be like deliberately doing it!"  
  
"It's called acting, love," Sirius said. "There's no way you can get around it. You could always stall him, too, because he becomes an asshole when he doesn't get any." Lily stared hard at him. "What? It's true! All men get that way. This one just more-so than James does."  
  
"Whatever - I don't need to know these kinds of things," Lily said.  
  
"Hey, women get kind of bitchy too, you know," Sirius defended.  
  
"Can we get back to our subject, please?"  
  
"Right. So, you'll go with him tonight, and then you'll come back and me and you will go off to someplace and pretend like we're going to plan a birthday party for him - what did you get him by the way?"  
  
"I'm not giving my present for the man I love to that prick," Lily growled lowly. "I won't do it. We'll have to sneak into Hogsmeade tonight while we're talking and I'll get him something different."  
  
"James' birthday isn't for another month - you should be worried about getting me a present right now," Sirius teased. "Anyway, just do what we've planned so far - it won't be that bad."  
  
Lily rolled her eyes dramatically.  
  
"Yeah? Well, I'd rather it be you."  
  
A grin passed Sirius' countenance.  
  
"That could be arranged," he said slyly.  
  
Lily hit him playfully, packed her stuff up and left the Great Hall to her first class.  
  
* * *  
  
'James' and Lily strode upon the edges of the Forbidden Forest, walking in the light of the waxing moon. In one week, the Marauders would be in the Shrieking Shack and running around the ground in their animal forms with one lycanthrope.  
  
Suddenly, Lily thought of something.  
  
Was Lucius Malfoy an Animagus? Could he turn into to a stag to fool Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot? Or did Polyjuice Potions make it so you had the same talents as the person you wanted to portray? She hadn't noticed his marks going down in classes, nor had they gone up - they had been the same as they always were. And she knew that he had been going down to the Shrieking Shack on the nights of a full moon, so he must have been able to become a stag.  
  
The questions flooded her mind, and she could rarely think of something else until 'James' struck up a conversation and she filed all the questions away for later, planning to do some research and ask Sirius if he knew.  
  
"What are we going to do over the weekend?" he asked, holding her tight around her waist.  
  
"I've had a few thoughts," she said slyly. "And it's something I think you'll like a whole lot."  
  
"Really?" he asked, moving her scarf and kissing her neck now, making Lily feel dirty. "Is it something I'll enjoy very much?"  
  
"I absolutely believe so." She grabbed his left wrist and looked at the watch she had given her James last Christmas, then she looked up at the stars. "It's gorgeous out here."  
  
"I know it," he said, sucking softly on her neck. "Not as gorgeous as you though. Did you know that I love you so very much?"  
  
Yeah right, she thought, but answered with, "Do you now?"  
  
"Absolutely, my love. You complete me. I have no idea what I would do without you - probably AK myself..."  
  
Silence. Peaceful. Golden. Heartrending.  
  
It was difficult for Lily to sit there, in 'James' arms, watching the moon and the stars. But she couldn't help but feel that the ordeal with the Channeling Locket was just a dream. This James with her was witty and clever, gentle and caring - just like the James she knew. Could it have been a dream?  
  
'James' ceased from sucking Lily's neck and looked at his watch.   
  
Lily smiled, ignoring the sick feeling it gave her to think about what this James would want after they got back Gryffindor tower. All she could think about was James in the Dark House and how she had slept with another man for the past three months while he was away, and she hadn't even noticed.  
  
No, thinking about it, she really had noticed that James Potter was acting stranger than usual. He wasn't very tactful anymore, she had noticed, because of all the odd things he had said and done the past three months that caused her to become hacked off at him.  
  
"Fifteen minutes," he said again. "I best be going now, Lily, my love."  
  
"What? Where?"  
  
"You see, we are having this little - party - one could call it, and I am one of the guests of honor. I mustn't be late for my party, or my Master will not be very happy."  
  
"James, what are you talking about?" Lily asked, half-truly confused.  
  
"You see, my little love, I am not James Potter," he said, his lips curling in to a contorted sneer. "I am merely someone from your past - someone of your worst nightmares. I," he smirked more, "am proud to announce, that I am none other than someone you heard the word Mudblood escape from their lips, making your Hogwarts life a living hell." He paused, took out his wand and tapped himself lightly, making Lily flinch when he saw the form of James Potter turn into a tall, pale man.  
  
"Malfoy!" Lily hissed.  
  
He smirked, taking off James' glasses and discarding them to the floor of the forest.  
  
"Hmm, I'm ashamed that my smart, pretty, little Mudblood didn't figure it out earlier," he sneered. "I can't believe I played this game for so long. The little Marauders never even figured it out either. Who's the smart one now? Obviously not you or your friends."  
  
"Why would you do such a thing?"  
  
"Why else, my love?"  
  
"Don't call me that, you putrid, foul being," Lily growled. "I will never be yours."  
  
"Hmm...that's not what you told me over the past three months. I seem to recall being the soul owner of you, as you told me. You said that you were mine - heart, body, and soul. Did you forget that? Because I certainly didn't, and I know you meant your words. You are mine - you will always be mine, you filthy Mudblood whore."  
  
"Fuck you," Lily hissed, her eyes narrowing in contempt.  
  
"Been there, done that," Lucius drawled. "And I know you can't tell me that you didn't enjoy the Malfoy charm."  
  
Lily looked down, feeling even more ashamed. "I - I thought you were - you were James," she whispered.  
  
"You didn't notice that I wasn't the love of your life - you'll be in for one hell of a surprise if you ever see him again. He's so hacked off at you that you might as well go AK yourself. I've heard the things you said to me, 'Oh, James, I could never live without you', 'You know that I would die if you weren't with me', 'I'm yours, James, I'll be yours forever'. Do you think that I didn't learn anything in the past three months? My master never puts me through a mission if there isn't a lesson to be learned."  
  
Lucius looked at the watch on his wrist and smiled at Lily.  
  
"I really must be going now, my love," he said. "I had fun while it lasted, but I prefer the purebloods, personally."  
  
He then stepped forward, wrapped one hand around the redhead's waist, placed his other hand in between her thighs and slid it up. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed with fire and hatred and passion.  
  
"You're a worthless Mudblood, but you're one hell of a woman," he whispered huskily into her ear. He stepped back and pulled out a small ball that Lily recognized as a Transporter Aide - which was a Dark magic object that would allow Apparition and Portkeys to be used in protected areas. Within one second, he was gone, and Lily fell to her knees and started weeping convulsively.  
  
Within two minutes, there was a figure running out towards Lily, and she looked up to see a large, black dog loping at her. She screamed and scuttled backwards. The dog stopped and Lily remembered that Sirius was a black dog Animagus, so she stopped in her tracks and started weeping again, then said, "You scared the shit out of me, change back."  
  
The dog barked then changed back into Sirius Black. He walked towards Lily and wrapped his arms around her.  
  
"Let's go," he said.  
  
  
  
A/N: I hope you liked it! Thank you to all teh reviewers who will review and have faithfully reviewed after each chapter and all those who fit between the two categories.  
  
Happy Reading Wherever Your Little Eyes May Take You!!  
  
~Lavender 


	8. In the Dark House

A/N: Sorry this one has taken so long and that it is so short - I felt that it was at a good stopping point - cliffhangers always are! Enjoy!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own Harry Potter nor his universe, I wish I did, but I don't and all I can do is share my stories with other fans out there!  
  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Eight  
In The Dark House  
  
  
  
Sirius and Lily ran back to the castle and up the stairs as silently as they could manage with their scurrying feet pounding against the stone floors. Reaching the Fat Lady, Sirius whispered the password and the Fat Lady opened the portrait grumbling slightly. He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her up the stairs to his dormitory.  
  
"Shouldn't we tell Remus?" Lily asked, her voice barely audible. Sirius was about to answer when they heard another whisper, "I'm up. Couldn't sleep. What are you two up to?"  
  
Lily pulled back his hangings and explained to him the situation with Lucius Malfoy and James. Remus swore colorfully.  
  
"I knew that there was something wrong with that boy lately," he said. "I just couldn't figure out what it was. God, if I would have known, I would have castrated him with my wand."  
  
"Thanks for the visual," Sirius said, grabbing James' Invisibility Cloak and a knapsack and shoving items that Lily had never seen into it. Trust Sirius to even think humorously at a time like this, Lily couldn't help but think dryly. "Keep on the lookout for us now," Sirius said. "If we don't return within sunrise, go to Dumbledore."  
  
"What do you mean 'we'?" Remus asked. "And keep a lookout? First of all, do you think I'm going to let Lily go to that horrid place again? And even if I were to, I would certainly not let the two of you go - are you crazy? The last time you went you had Dumbledore with you and you barely made it out alive even then - you can't go by yourselves."  
  
"Remus, I can take care of myself," Lily said steadily, although her form was shaking with fear. "I know you're trying to look out for me, but I can. Really."  
  
"Are you sure you will be able to handle going back there?"  
  
"I'm sure," she answered firmly.  
  
Remus nodded. "So be it. I'll keep lookout and if you aren't back by sunrise, I'll go to Dumbledore." He hugged both Lily and Remus. "Be careful - and for god's sake, come back alive and well with our friend before dawn."  
  
"We will Remus," Sirius said. "I promise."  
  
The pair raced out of the dormitory and through the portrait hole, receiving a disapproving grunt from the sleeping Fat Lady. In their rush to get outside the castle, Sirius forgot to jump over the trick step on the wooden staircase and he yelped in pain as his leg sunk in thigh deep. Lily came to a halt and turned to help Sirius, but she wasn't strong enough to pull Sirius out of the hole.  
  
"What are we going to do?" Lily whispered frantically. Sirius only groaned in pain. She could see that his eyes were starting to water, and he kept trying to hoist himself out, but to no avail. "I'm going to have to magic you out," she said, pulling out her wand.  
  
"That wouldn't be the best of ideas. Lumos."  
  
Both Lily and Sirius looked at the top of the stairs to see the greasy-haired Slytherin git, Severus Snape standing above them, a smirk over his sallow, would-be-handsome countenance. Sirius growled, just like, Lily thought, the massive black dog he was in his Animagus form.   
  
"Should tell the Headmaster, I should," Snape sneered, so much like the school poltergeist, Peeves. "What could the two of you be doing, running around at this time of night?"  
  
"What are you doing out here at this time of night, might I ask?" Lily said.  
  
"I'm a prefect," he said, his smirk growing. "And that's my business."  
  
"I'm a prefect also, and you have no right to order me around. I just might be patrolling the hallways."  
  
"And what if I am too? I seem to remember that Black isn't a prefect - he should be in his dormitory right now - or was he sneaking out to go snog with you behind Potter's back?"  
  
"Likely," Sirius barked. "You're just jealous that you don't have her."  
  
"Whatever," he replied. "I don't need a Mudblood like that - smashing as she is."  
  
"Prowl away," Lily growled.  
  
"I think not. You're undefended here while Black is stuck in the stair. Maybe I'll take you into an empty classroom and have my way with you. Taken to haunting my dreams, Mudblood," he hissed, "and you're going to get what's coming to you."  
  
"I won't have anything to do with your sexual fantasies, thank you," Lily said, trying to pull Sirius out once more.  
  
"We'll see about that," Snape whispered huskily. In a blink of an eye, Snape pulled his wand out and Stunned Lily, she fell, limp, onto the staircase on top of Sirius. The Slytherin grabbed the redhead and dragged her up the stairs. "Looks like I've won," he said to Sirius, and exited the staircase into the corridor, the lifeless form of Lily in his arms, ignoring Sirius' threats of "Get back here, you son of a bitch, or I'll cut your balls off and place them in a jar of acid!"  
  
Snape pulled Lily into an empty classroom, bound her, then woke her up. He smirked when he saw that she was looking around the room, and he chuckled when she scowled at him.  
  
"What do you want from me?" she asked, a growl in her voice.  
  
"Just like I said, you keep haunting my dreams and you'll get what's coming to you."  
  
"You're a sick bastard!" she spat.  
  
"I know," he said lightheartedly, "What other reasons would there be for me being in Slytherin?" Lily glared. "Now shall we talk about my dreams? Maybe you can help me solve my - uh - frustrations."  
  
"Over my dead body."  
  
"You know, that could be arranged," Snape hissed. "But I'd rather not waste my killing strategies on a Mudblood like you." He picked up his smirk again. "Now tell me, how do you feel about sex? And don't give me those I'm-an-innocent-virgin eyes. I've seen how you look at Potter. I bet you like it rough - I bet you're a screamer. Now, is that your real hair color? I guess I'll find that out for myself, but, you never know - you could be putting a charm on your hair."  
  
Lily was seeing red. Snape taunting her in a dark classroom was not how she wanted to spend this night, when she had more important things to do - like rescue James. Her anger kept rising as Snape continued taunting and sneering, telling her about his extremely inappropriate dreams, dreams that made Lily blush a deep crimson as he told of himself and her doing things that she never thought were possible. Finally, she couldn't take anymore of Snape, who had come closer and started kissing her neck, whispering in her ear the things he would do to her, and she glared at him and with all the concentration and anger and all other feelings she could muster, she shouted, "Petrificus Totalus," and the next second, Snape's body was petrified and he had fallen to the ground, his eyes moving rapidly back and forth in their sockets.  
  
Lily magicked herself out of the binds and pulled out her wand, saying, "Mobilius Corpus." Snape began to float and Lily said, sneering, "Looks like I've won, now doesn't it?" And she walked out of the classroom, Snape floating behind her.  
  
She reached the stairway and saw Sirius had managed to get himself out up to his knee, but he was still having trouble going further. He heard a laugh from up above and looked up.  
  
"Lily," he panted, "help me."  
  
She smiled and walked down the staircase, smiling even wider when she saw Sirius' eyes widen at the floating Snape behind her.  
  
"Petrified," she said, grabbing Sirius under his armpits and hoisting him out. "How's your leg? Can you walk?"  
  
"I'll be fine. Thanks," Sirius said. He looked over at the stiff form of the greasy Slytherin. "What are we going to do with this git?"  
  
"Broom shed?"  
  
"I like that idea."  
  
And the two of them continued down the stairs, Sirius limping slightly, and Snape floating noiselessly behind them.  
  
* * *   
  
They were speeding through the air on Sirius' classic Silver Arrow - which Sirius picked up after he discarded the petrified Snape in the back of the broom shed. He usually only polished his Silver Arrow and used it only during Quidditch Finals, as it was the fastest broom in history and the company had stopped manufacturing them. Lily was seated behind Sirius, gripping his waist tightly while he expertly steered south of the Hogwarts castle towards the ominous mansion also known as the Dark House.  
  
The charms and invisibility veils made it so the House could not be seen, but Sirius knew it was there - he remembered the landscape.  
  
"We're about to pass through the veils," Sirius informed Lily. She nodded and shifted her grip on his waist. Within two seconds, an enormous, stone mansion loomed twenty feet in front of the pair on the broom. Lily gasped, and Sirius couldn't help but chuckle that, despite the danger they were in, Lily's brain still wasn't used to some of the things wizards took for granted.  
  
Sirius pulled to a halt a few feet away from the outside wall and he swung one leg over the broom so he could partially face Lily. "Here's our plan," he said. "We're sneaking in through the servants' door outside their quarters. We'll listen for information and we'll sneak into wherever they are."  
  
"Wait - why don't we use invisibility and locating charms?" Lily asked.  
  
"Because Dumbledore told us that there are spells on the House so that only people authorized by the Dark Lord can do magic."  
  
"Fat load of help that does us," Lily muttered. "He's thought of everything, hasn't he?"  
  
"Pretty much," Sirius answered. He looked at her scared-yet-determined face. She shivered with nervousness, but her eyes showed bravery. "Are you ready?"  
  
Lily took a deep breath and exhaled loudly, then nodded. Sirius swung his leg back over, then slowly inched his broom lower and lower until a door was in sight. They dismounted, then Sirius hid his broom in tall, neatly pruned bushes. He then put his ear to the door, listened, then nodded, opening the door slowly, thanking his lucky stars that wizards weren't quite as paranoid about locking doors - especially wizards who were accustom to charms and veils. He grabbed Lily's hand and pulled her inside, shutting the door quickly and quietly behind them.  
  
The two had just enough time to hide behind a large statue of a basilisk when they heard someone talking.  
  
"Messer. Potter will be made one of us tonight," the voice said - and not in a delightful tone in the least.  
  
"Don't question our master's motives," a second voice snapped. "He knows well what he's doing, and I think it is a bloody brilliant idea."  
  
"Does this have something to do with getting back at the Mudblood?" a third voice asked.  
  
"Very good, Crabbe - now put some brains into that head of yours before I blow what brains you have left out."  
  
Silence.  
  
"Suppose we should warn Potter that he must dress in his new robes for the occasion? Our lord certainly wouldn't be pleased if he stayed wearing those awful green ones that he refuses to change."  
  
"Let's do that - as much as I would like to see Potter embarrassed, I would not like to see our lord and master embarrassed that his newest recruit looked horrid."  
  
"Now's our chance," Sirius whispered to Lily, who nodded again.  
  
They slipped from behind the statue and followed the three black-cloaked wizards up and down corridors and stairs and turned into another hallway. They were about to continue on to where the wizards were going, but a pair on hands covered over both Sirius' and Lily's mouth, preventing her from screaming.  
  
They were dragged backwards on their heels until they turned a sharp corner and they were thrown into a dark room. The two of them tumbled on the floor and Sirius got up instantly and crouched in front of Lily to protect her from the evils that were awaiting them, but there was nothing in the room.  
  
"Who's there?" Sirius called. "What do you want?"  
  
A snap of the fingers and an old wizard with several feet of silver hair and beard appeared. His familiar eyes were not a twinkle, but they were scarier than Sirius had ever seen them. Suddenly Sirius knew why Albus Dumbledore was the only man that Voldemort was afraid of. The lines of his face portrayed complete rage and he looked as if he could shoot laser beams out of his eyes, just like Sirius had seen some villain do on a Muggle movie.  
  
"Whatever in the holiest Merlin's name made you even think of coming here without telling me?" he said slowly, each syllable accented with rage.  
  
Sirius was in complete shock. "P - Professor Dumbledore?"  
  
"Boy, you don't have the slightest idea how damn lucky you are that my Dark magic detectors went off and I saw you two out on grounds."  
  
"You saw?"  
  
Lily stepped out from behind Sirius and looked at the elder wizard.  
  
"Professor Dumbledore," she said timidly, "it's my fault that were here."  
  
Both the headmaster and the young wizard looked shocked at Lily.  
  
"No, no," Sirius said. "If anything, it's my fault that were here. I shouldn't have let Lily come here, if anything."  
  
"Then you should start by telling me why you are here."  
  
"You - you didn't know?" Lily asked. "And here I thought you knew everything. I thought that you would be most understanding - at least to me. Do you honestly think that I'd be here just for the hell of it?"  
  
"Lily, shh!" Sirius hissed.  
  
"No, Sirius, do you want James back or not?"  
  
"James Potter?" Dumbledore said. "What does he have to do with all this? He may be a troublemaker, but he would know enough not be putting himself in danger, no matter the circumstances. He -"  
  
"He's here," Lily interrupted. "He's been here for the last three months and none of the whole school even figured it out! He's been here the whole time and he's going to be a Death Eater - we heard the other Death Eaters talking about it."  
  
"James is here?" Dumbledore repeated, more to himself. "Merlin help us all - we've got to do something!"  
  
"Professor," Sirius said slowly, "we talked to James with a Channeling Locket - he's not exactly happy to know that we've come to get him."  
  
"What?"  
  
"He thinks we don't care for him since it took us three months to figure out that Lucius Malfoy was not the real James Potter."  
  
"We've got to get him before he's initiated," Dumbledore said. "I'm going to find someone I can use Polyjuice Potion on, and you two find James." The two nodded. "Oh, and you two left this on the wooden staircase - I daresay that it has the Invisibility Cloak inside it." He tossed them Sirius' black Hogwarts knapsack, and Sirius pulled out the silvery cloak.  
  
"Thank you, sir," he said. "Safe journey."  
  
"As to you, young ones," Dumbledore said softly as he watched the two students disappear under the cloak.  
  
* * *  
  
Once again, Sirius and Lily were making their way down the corridor, though more slowly this time. They were trying to find their way through the huge mansion, trying to find James. Sirius hadn't the mind to tell Lily, but he was leading them to the same place that she had been held captive only last year.  
  
And once again, the two heard voices.  
  
They hid behind a statue of armor. Lily shuttered deeply next to Sirius, and he looked at her questioningly. She had her eyes closed and she was breathing deeply - almost to a point that Sirius was afraid she was hyperventilating. He then realized that she remembered that corridor - but how could she forget? he tried to remind himself. He placed a hand on her shoulder and rubbed it gently, she squeezed her eyes tighter and shook her head. Oh, lord, Sirius thought, how could I even think about letting her come when she'd have those horrible memories of that night. He clasped her hand in his and she opened her emerald eyes, which were shimmering with unshed tears.  
  
"Don't say anything," she mouthed under the fluid-like cloak. "This is not your fault. I wanted to come - don't worry about me, worry about the safety of our best friend."  
  
Right then, he knew that Lily was a brave soul - he never thought of her that way until now, when the limit was being pushed and she would not let it shove her down. He nodded and squeezed her hand.  
  
"We just thought you should know, Potter."   
  
"And whatever you do," said a second, "don't make a fool out of our master, for we will take action then and there and have your head on our golden platter."  
  
"Silver platter, Crabbe - for love of all that's holy, get things right or I'll sew your lips together."  
  
The three black-cloaked wizards walked past the statue of armor and once they were well enough away, the pair made a break for it to the door. They opened it slowly, then stepped in and shut the door behind them. James was sitting on a large bed with green velvet hangings that were neatly tied to the posts, his back was turned from the door.  
  
"What? Come to poke more fun at me?" he said. "Come to tell me how worthless I am again and that I'm only being initiated to be an operative? That I'm a Gryffindor? Well, you know what? I'm going to be the best damn Death Eater you've ever seen - even better than yourselves. I will prove to my master, my lord, my father that despite my Gryffindor characteristics, I can serve ambitiously and dutifully to serve Dark purposes - to help our lord to become ruler of the entire human race. I take by your silence that you've come for all the reasons I've said. Well, have at it. Tell me I'm worthless - tell me I won't be able to do the job of a Slytherin. Go ahead. Give me all you got - try something new, why don't you. You all need to come up with better insults. I was in love with a Mudblood, I was a Gryffindor, I'm a stag in my Animagus form. Come on - give it to me. Shock me."  
  
Lily pulled off the cloak and watched his back, tears streaming down her face. "We've come to take you home."  
  
  
  
A/N: Thanks to all of those who have reviewed!  
  
queen of the elfs: I would really like to thank you for being such a wonderful reviewer and boosting my ego! I am certainly not as wonderful as the great JKR, but thank you all the same. And thanks for reading! As for your question, I do have a story where Lily is kidnapped by Voldemort - it is the prequel to this story - it's called Free Falling - you can find it in my profile.  
  
To all those who are faithful to me: THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!! Your reviews and comments mean so much to me! I hope you stick with me! If you ever want to chat, I'm always up for talking - email me at k_wayment@hotmail.com - I'm always there!  
  
And to Icilyn, who has always been there, even when our conversations become completely ridiculous and we have nothing else to talk about except for stupid things!  
  
Happy Reading Wherever Your Little Eyes May Take You!!  
  
~Lavender 


	9. Diversions

A/N: Enjoy!  
  
Disclaimer: As usual, I don't own the HPVerse...blah, blah, blah. I'm just sharing my own creations with all those other fans out there.  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Nine  
Diversions  
  
  
  
James whipped around and stared, shocked at the two figures in front of him. Soon, his shock passed and he glowered at his two best friends. The form of his girlfriend and her tear-streaked face and reddened eyes made his heart jump slightly, but he scolded himself inwardly, telling himself that she didn't care - that Voldemort, his father, was correct about her - that she only cared about herself. The only reason she was here was for her own benefit so she could have him back. She didn't even care how he felt - she didn't care that he wanted stay here with his new family.  
  
"And you are here, why?" James asked coldly, looking back and forth between Sirius and Lily. Sirius' eyes, James saw, were also welled with tears, but he didn't shed them.  
  
"We - we've come to take you home," Lily said again, trembling. She looked at Sirius for support, but he was only staring at James and his long beard and short hair. He barely blinked and his jaw was firm.  
  
James got up off of the bed and walked over to a dresser in which he pulled out a set of black robes and a long black cloak. He turned to look at his friends, and said, just above a hoarse whisper, "I am home."  
  
Lily's jaw dropped for a mere second and she stepped forward. James pulled out his wand - which Lucius Malfoy had given back earlier that evening - and pointed it at Lily, who stopped abruptly, her eyes widening.  
  
"James, put that away," she said slowly. "You and I both know you would never do something like that."  
  
"Oh yeah? Try me," was his reply. "You think that just because I was in love with you at one time means that I would never do anything to hurt you. Well, Lily, you're wrong. When I loved you, I'd have never let anything happen to you - but now that you've been with that filthy Malfoy, without a clue in that thick head of yours, don't think that I won't do anything to harm you if you come near me. I swear on my life, Lily Mariah Evans, that if you come near me during this night or any other night, I'll kill you."  
  
"You'll - you'll..." Lily stuttered, tears running rivers down her cheeks. She turned to Sirius, who was still staring at James. "He's under the Imperius - do something!"  
  
Still not taking his eyes off his best friend, he said, "No he's not, Lily - look at his eyes."  
  
Lily looked straight into her lover's eyes. The black coals were full of malice and hatred for the two who were standing in front of him. Lily had once seen this look directed to Voldemort and sometimes Snape, but never in her or Sirius' direction. There was no love or compassion in James' deep black eyes, there was only coldness and loathing.  
  
"Damn right, I'm not under the Imperius," he growled. "I already told you guys that I was happy here. I've got my new family - one who cares for me more than you two and Peter and Remus ever did. My father is kind and caring and he loves me - he needs me here with him, and I can't leave him - even if I did want to."  
  
"No. That's not what you want, James," Lily said. "You want to be Head Boy next year, you want to graduate from Hogwarts, you want to work with the Ministry in the Department of Magical Games and Sports." She sniffed and wiped her eyes, her voice breaking slightly as she said, "You - you said you'd give me lots of children and we'll live in a big house out in the country by all our friends." She put her head in her hands and wept.  
  
"Times change, dreams change, people change," James said. He shrugged off his robes and pulled on the black ones, then placed the cloak over his shoulders. He conjured a mirror and shaved his face with a charm. He ran his fingers through his inch-long midnight hair then turned back to Sirius, who was still staring at his friend, and James was getting rather annoyed by this. "What is it?" he snapped. "I'm not going back and you're just going to have to accept it."  
  
"I accept it," Sirius said slowly. Lily looked up sharply. "And I completely understand that you are needed here more than you are at Hogwarts. You're right - it was completely selfish of us to come here and try to stop you from being with your family and those who need you. We just came here to make sure that this is what you want to do, and we'll support you with your choice because we love you - even if the choice you make means that we'll never see you again." He looked at Lily, went over to her and grabbed her hand. "We're going now, and we want you to know that we will never stop loving you, no matter what evils you do in the world." He dragged the wide-eyed Lily to the door, opened it, and looked back at James. "Goodbye, my friend." And he stepped out the door, pulling Lily out, then shut the door behind him.  
  
James was shocked. Was that real? Did Sirius and Lily just come to rescue him and he turned them down and then they accepted what he wanted to do with is life? He couldn't believe it. Did they lack that much ambition that they gave up?   
  
It took all the power that James had in him to not care, to keep reminding himself that he wanted this new life. He shook his head and finished readying himself, straightening his robes and cloak. He shook his head one final time before he turned around, sat back down on his bed, put his head in his hands and tried to find the tears, but couldn't, so he was wracked by dry sobs.  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius pulled Lily into the same dark room that they were in with Dumbledore. He pulled a large candle out of the knapsack and a box of matches and lit it, making the large room glow eerily.  
  
"What the hell was that back there?" Lily demanded of Sirius. He grinned slightly at her glare and took her hands in his, which she ripped out roughly. "You think that I'm going to let James stay here and become one of those foul creatures? You can accept what you will, but I will not stand here and let my best friend and boyfriend become a part of the Dark side." Sirius was silent, his grin was wide now, reminding Lily of the Cheshire Cat. Her rage deepened and she continued. "You think it's funny don't you? Do you want your best friend to become the pawn of the Dark Lord who keeps telling him lies? You go on back to Hogwarts, but I'm going back to James."  
  
"Go where you will," Sirius said, "but I'm going to crash a party."  
  
Confused, Lily shut her mouth and listened to Sirius' plan.  
  
* * *  
  
Albus Dumbledore walked through the corridors silently, his plan running several miles an hour in his head. A wizard clad in black robes and a mask turned the corner and looked at the silver-haired wizard.  
  
"You're not supposed to be here," the wizard said. Dumbledore smiled and replied, "Don't you think I know that?" He swung back his arm and punched the wizard with such a force that one wouldn't think possible for such an old man. He dragged the knocked-out wizard by his feet into a room and pulled the mask off. "Here's a winner," he muttered, recognizing the face to be one of those in the inner circle.  
  
He pulled out a small pocketknife from his cloak and cut several patches of the curly brown hair. He took out a small flask and added the hair. After the hissing and bubbling subsided, he downed the whole container and threw it against the wall as he doubled over, writhing as if snakes were in his belly.   
  
As soon as it started, it stopped and Dumbledore stood there, not as himself, but as the younger wizard. He took the knocked-out wizard's clothes and mask, gagged and bound him, then left him in the corner of the room.  
  
Dumbledore walked out of the room and headed towards where he knew the Dark meetings were held, and was soon met up with two other wizards.  
  
"Are you excited for tonight, Jamison?" one of the other wizards asked. How the wizard knew who he was impersonating, Dumbledore knew not, since they all had the masks on, but he answered all the same, trying to keep up on his character role.  
  
"Absolutely," he said with his new thick Scottish accent.  
  
"Think Potter will make a fool of himself?" asked the second wizard.  
  
"No, James Potter never makes a fool of himself," Dumbledore answered truthfully. "Although I must say that I certainly hope he does. I don't want him in our ranks."  
  
"Know what you mean, mate," the second replied. "Master will probably initiate him. I mean, you've heard the way he talks about him when he's not with him every minute of the day. Lord Voldemort is really looking forward to having him with us. I don't know why - I mean, he's a Gryffindor, he'll turn against us the minute he gets the chance when he goes back to that Mudblood contaminated school."  
  
"He's going back to school?" Dumbledore asked. The wizards turned sharply towards Dumbledore.  
  
"Where have you been, Jamison? Weren't you listening when Master told us his plans for the Potter boy?"  
  
"I had brat duty," Dumbledore said after some quick thinking.  
  
"Oh," said one wizard. "I hate it when Master puts the chore of watching Potter on us. I mean, he's the one who wanted him in the first place and he's the one who's become so attached to him. Did you know that I overheard him telling Lucius Malfoy that Potter was his son?"  
  
"No!" Dumbledore gasped. His head was taking mental notes of all the things these imbecile excuses for Death Eaters were carelessly throwing around. "But Master never wanted an heir - he planned on living forever."  
  
"I guess he does now," the wizard replied with a shrug. "But get this - I also overheard Master telling Malfoy that Potter was now referring to our Lord as his father. Can you believe that? There's no chance in hell, no matter how much Potter screws up, that our Lord won't initiate him."  
  
Dumbledore's head was swimming. It was a little bit of information, but a massive amount to process. He knew these gossiping morons wouldn't lie and he couldn't help but feel the bile rise up in the back of his throat, wondering if it was too late to save one of the best students he'd ever set eyes on. And it was his entire fault for not even paying attention to what was going on around the castle. Sure, everyone thought that he knew everything, more or less, that went on around the castle, but obviously he didn't know enough.  
  
"Here we are. It should be starting within a half an hour. Get into positions."  
  
The wizards walked into a room full of other wizards who were standing in two circles - a small circle compiled of about twenty people, and a larger circle enclosing the smaller circle. Inner circle, Dumbledore thought, taking in the new meaning. One of the wizards Dumbledore had walked with said a quiet goodbye, inclining his head slightly to the other two, and he stood in the outer circle.  
  
Dumbledore followed the wizard to the inner circle and stopped when he did. He looked around, noticing gaps in parts of the circle, hoping that he was in the right spot, as it seemed that they had certain places, but the other wizard said nothing.  
  
"Evening, Jamison, Douglas," said another wizard taking place a few paces away from the wizard that Dumbledore now knew was named Douglas. He inclined his head slightly in a bow while Douglas replied, "Evening, MacNair."  
  
MacNair turned to greet other Death Eaters and Dumbledore turned to Douglas and commented, "I can never remember if he's MacNair or if he's Noyes."  
  
"Oh, that's an easy one to remember. MacNair is number seventeen. See the little patch on the arm of his robes?" Dumbledore looked, and sure enough, there was a miniscule patch on the right elbow of MacNair that read I-17. Inner Circle servant number seventeen, Dumbledore thought. Since when did the Dark Lord start numbering his Death Eaters? That's easy - when he started having more followers than he could remember names.  
  
A voice interrupted Dumbledore's thoughts.  
  
"Looks like you two are early. Lord Voldemort doesn't even know you're names," the voice sneered, "and only God knows how you got into the Inner Circle."  
  
"We've worked hard for our positions, Malfoy," said Douglas coldly. "The only reason you're here and Master knows your name is because you've got your head so far up his arse that I can't tell where you end and he begins."  
  
Lucius Malfoy whipped out his wand, pointed it at Douglas' heart and growled ominously, "Don't you ever insult me like that again, or next time I will curse you into oblivion." He put away his wand and moved into his position across from them.  
  
"He's just hacked off because it's true," Douglas said quietly. Dumbledore nodded in agreement. Douglas looked at his watch again. "T-minus ten minutes."  
  
"Have you heard why Potter is getting the Mark tonight when his birthday isn't until the twenty-ninth of February?" Dumbledore questioned, trying to sound casual.  
  
"You haven't heard that either?" Douglas asked, incredulously. "Well, Potter's actual birthday only occurs every four years and since Leap Year was last year, Master thought that the sooner he gets into the circle, the sooner he can get back to Hogwarts, and the better for us all to learn about the plans of our opposing side. Even though you can't officially receive the Mark until seventeen, he'll be seventeen soon enough and Master thinks he can carry out the plans. The current plan is for him to tell that Muggle-loving fool of a headmaster that he wants to be a spy and he'll learn all their plans and tell our side - you know, the good stuff like that."  
  
"Do you really think that will work?" Dumbledore asked. "What if he double-crosses us while he pretends to double-cross that Mudblood-lover?"  
  
"I would highly doubt that," Douglas replied. "I mean, Potter's taken to calling Master 'Father'. If that's not proof enough for you, I don't know what is.... Five minutes."  
  
All was silent in the room save for a few excited whispers and shuffles. Dumbledore tuned in his ears into where Lucius Malfoy was standing, whispering to I-21.  
  
"We can't have Potter in here," Malfoy was whispering, "he'll ruin every plan we've ever made. He's already ruined Master's plans to gain control over the continents. It seems that Master now plans on dying because he needs an heir - and he is naming Potter his heir tonight. With all due respect to our Lord, I can't believe he's coming to this. I mean, I could see where the Mudblood came in with his last plan, but I just think that it's gone way too far this time."  
  
"Three minutes," Douglas said into his ear. "I can't wait."  
  
"I certainly can," Dumbledore muttered.  
  
"Oh, stop being such a sourpuss about it," Douglas chided. "Potter will be a fine addition to the Family. He's extremely loyal, as we've already seen, and he is fit for the job - you've got to admit - despite the fact that he's not a Slytherin. He'll be one of the best damn Death Eaters in history - and then Lucius Malfoy will have to work his pale ass off to kiss the ass of Lord Voldemort and Potter. That'll be the greatest thing to watch, that will."  
  
"Yeah, I'd have to agree with that," Dumbledore said, not really knowing what he was agreeing to, since his plans were, one again, rushing through his head like the speeding Hogwarts Express. He looked around the full circles and spotted a few of the operatives - he recognized them by their stance and the way they carried their wand - just like the Aurors - one would have to have extremely sharp eyes to catch that the wands were carried slightly different by mere millimeters than the normal wizard would carry it.  
  
Douglas took a breath to say something more, but there was a loud bang! and a massive cloud of green smoke appeared in the center of the inner circle. At once, all the masked wizards got down on their knees and placed their foreheads on the ground with their arms sticking straight out in front of them. Dumbledore followed suit.  
  
A set of footsteps were traveling in and out of the two circles, and although he couldn't see to whom they belonged to, Dumbledore knew that they were the footsteps of one ominous wizard who called himself Voldemort.  
  
"Inner Family stand," commanded the deep, pleasant voice. The inner circle stood and Dumbledore looked at the tall, pleasant-looking wizard with red snake-like eyes. He smiled, which, as usual, didn't reach his eye, and the headmaster couldn't help but remember the time at a young, newly graduated wizard's wedding, where he was laughing and smiling, his eyes full of love for his bride…Dumbledore thought that nothing could ever change that young man, and he certainly never thought that he'd become this - this monster that was standing before the fifty masked Death Eaters.  
  
"Welcome, my sons," Voldemort said, taking in the sight of his closest followers while those of the outer circle stayed on their knees, foreheads to the cold stone ground, hands outstretched. "Met up once again to fulfill our Dark purposes - to rid the world of the filthy and the common and to raise the superb and the powerful. We are to show the Light of the world that we are the Power - that there is no such thing as Good and Evil, but only Power and those too weak to seek it." He paused for effect.  
  
"Outer Family stand," he commanded. Those in the outer circle stood swiftly and quietly. Lord Voldemort continued, "Brothers - sons, we have united here this night, on the ides of the moon of the Wolf, to welcome a new addition to our Family - who will not fail to succeed at fulfilling Dark purposes. He is not irresolute about seeking Power and he will rapidly gain what he deserves - unlike several of you imbeciles that are only kept here because of my generosity, pity, and need for servants.  
  
"This addition has several qualities - loyalty, faithfulness, intelligence, worthiness, and a strong mind for Power. He has been here for three months total - against his will at first, and bitter, but he has seen the glories - the right - and he is ready to become brother and son to us all. He is prepared and willing to go through the arduous tasks of being on our side, and I know that he can become one of us. Furthermore, I have faith that he will become my heir on this night and aid me in my reign over the society we strive to create.  
  
"Now let us bring him in," Voldemort said with a small smile. "Death Eaters - brothers - sons, welcome my heir, my son, James Alan Potter."  
  
A large mahogany door opened to the east of the two circles and a tall, dark wizard clad in black robes and a black cloak came striding, both nervously and pompously, into the great hall they were in. He looked straight at the elder wizard and stopped for nothing, forcing the circles to break as he went into the middle to join the Dark Lord.  
  
"My heir! My son!" Voldemort cried, looking around the hall at his circles. One by one, the Death Eaters went down upon their knees and bowed as they had before when their master had appeared. "Arise," he commanded. Once they had all gotten on their feet, Voldemort started speaking again.  
  
"James Alan Potter will now be called Lord Mordred as my son and heir and he will go by no other name, save if he commands you to call him by any other name. You will follow his every order with no questions asked. The only higher than he is myself - make that clear in your brains from this moment on."  
  
The Dark Lord clapped his hands together and smiled, looking at James. Dumbledore was shocked to see that in his eyes was the love that he had once held there for his bride, love that hadn't been there for anyone else until now - nearly thirty years later. Dumbledore almost felt remorseful that he was on this mission to take his best student back to his rightful place. He felt pity for the Dark wizard, who was about to have the second living thing that he had felt love for in the entire universe taken away from him. But Dumbledore knew that he couldn't leave James Potter here to live as Lord Mordred, son of the Dark Lord Voldemort. That wasn't where James was supposed to be and he wouldn't be happy here.  
  
"Now, my son, it is time for you to join us - to join your brothers, your fellow Dark followers. Do you feel you are ready?"  
  
James swallowed the lump that was in his throat and then nodded. "Yes, my father and my lord."  
  
* * *  
  
Lily looked intently at Sirius as he launched into explanation.  
  
"James is being initiated tonight, right?" Lily nodded. "Well, we're just going to have to go in there and get him."   
  
"And you think that's going to work?" Lily asked skeptically. "Listen - he doesn't want to leave, and even if he did, there is no way in hell Voldemort will let James out of his sight."  
  
"I thought you were the one who wanted to get James back so desperately," Sirius said. "You know what, if you aren't strong and brave enough to face fifty Death Eaters and Lord Voldemort, go back to Hogwarts and continue fucking Lucius Malfoy, because if you don't put your faith into this enough to get James then you don't deserve to have him back."  
  
Lily seethed with rage stronger than she had ever felt it before. Sirius' words rang in her ears like sirens and she lifted her hand and smacked Sirius across the face. Sirius' hand flew to his cheek and rubbed the raw skin. Eyes both emerald and coal glared into the other with deep hatred and malice.  
  
"Lily," Sirius said slowly after what seemed like hours of looking into her fiery eyes. "I don't want to quarrel with you right now. I -"  
  
"Sirius," - at this, Sirius winced inwardly - Lily had been too angry to use his full name, as she usually did when she was hacked off - "I never thought you, of all people, would say that to me. After all the years you've tried to protect me and were there for me...now this? Whatever has gotten into you, I don't like it. Maybe you should go into the hall with James and become initiated a slave to that putrid being."  
  
"Listen - I don't like being here any more than you do. To tell you the truth, I'm scared shitless of this place - it's not just you." He grabbed Lily's hands, and she reluctantly let him hold them. "I didn't really mean what I said, Lily; I was just disappointed that you felt you didn't have the courage to go through with this. Lily, I know the Sorting Hat placed you in Gryffindor for a reason, and you shouldn't back down from your troubles because you have the characteristics of Godric himself." Lily looked away and smiled faintly. "Do you forgive me for what I said?"  
  
Lily looked at Sirius once more. "Yeah, I forgive you." The dark-haired wizard pulled the witch into his arms and embraced her tightly. "But after this is over, I'm not going to talk to you for a week," she added, embracing Sirius back.  
  
"That's fine," he said, letting her go and settling down on the floor next to the candle. "So, here's the plan: We're going to find out where the meeting is being held - most likely in the great hall - and we'll sneak in with these." He produced two long, black cloaks and masks from his bag, which Lily knew they were replicas of the Death Eater cloaks and masks.  
  
"Where did those come from?" Lily asked. Sirius just smiled mysteriously. "You haven't illegally charmed that bag to produce whatever you need, have you?" Sirius' enigmatic smile grew. "Oh, that's great, Sirius - let's get ourselves into even more trouble!"  
  
"Hey, the Ministry's not here; besides, Dumbledore was the one who put the charm on the bag - didn't you realize that I didn't put a candle into my bag before we left? I just thought that we needed light and I opened the bag to see what I had in there, and there was this candle.... Anyway, that's beside the point - if Dumbledore wants to break the laws, then he can have at it - as long as it's helping us. Now before you get all righteous on me, let me finish telling you my plan.  
  
"We're going to go into the hall and stand in a dark corner, and then we're going to create a diversion to stop Voldemort from initiating James."  
  
"I can see how that'll work - we'll just create a diversion, grab James and run out of here and the Dark Lord won't even know what hit him."  
  
"You know, I'm kind of winging it here, so I would appreciate it if you could cut the sarcasm."  
  
"Sorry."  
  
"Then were going to grab James and run out of here," Sirius finished. Lily rolled her eyes and growled in frustration. "Hey! Do you have a better idea?"  
  
"As a matter of fact, I think I do."  
  
"Then let's hear it," Sirius snapped, "because we're running out of time."  
  
"We're going to sneak in there with the cloaks and the masks on, sneak behind some of the Death Eaters, then create a diversion."  
  
"Oh, and I see how your plan is a better one than mine," Sirius said sarcastically.  
  
"I wasn't done yet," Lily scolded. "Our diversion has to be so big that it will stop the ceremony and put the entire circle into total chaos. Then, we'll go up to Voldemort and tell him that we'll take James back to his room and suggest that the ceremony continues tomorrow after he finds out who did what."  
  
"I like that."  
  
"I said you would."  
  
Sirius threw Lily a cloak and a mask and they both pulled them on. He grasped her hand for good luck, and they exited the room, traveling towards the first floor.  
  
* * *  
  
Dumbledore looked around the hall again, trying to see how many operatives were there. Most of the operatives were in the outer circle, but there were a small few that were in the inside. He wondered just how many of them were really working for his side and who was on that of the Dark Lord. If Voldemort had come up with that plan for James to follow, that must have meant that there were others following that plan. He would have to ask the Ministry permission (for once, he reminded himself) to use Veritaserum on his operatives. Never had Veritaserum failed him - but never had an operative either, and he couldn't decide if the Dark wizard had come up with that all on his own or not.  
  
The voice of Lord Voldemort broke through his thoughts. James now was kneeling in front of the wizard. And the elder was querying the latter.  
  
"James - Lord Mordred - my son, do you understand that you will have to give all the loyalty you have to me and all Dark purposes?"  
  
"Yes, Master," James replied hoarsely, inclining then lifting his head.  
  
"And do you know the penalty for those who do not give me their loyalty?"  
  
"You are always so merciful, my lord," he said inclining and lifting his head again. "But the penalty is death."  
  
Voldemort nodded. "And what of those whom are against me? What happens to them?"  
  
"They suffer for their sins," James replied - sounding more like a machine than his self. "Unforgivable Curses are always used for those who do not agree with our side."  
  
"And how do you feel about Muggles and Muggle-borns?"  
  
"Filthy, common-blood shouldn't be within this world. None whatsoever. All products of Muggles are a nuisance into the world and should be destroyed."  
  
Dumbledore looked shocked at the young wizard. Never before had he expected such words to come out of James Potter's mouth. The same James Potter that loved Lily Evans, a Muggle-born, with every molecule in his body. He loved her more than anything the headmaster could even think of, and now he was saying that all products of Muggles - all peoples like Lily Evans - should be banished from the face of the earth. Dumbledore shivered, wondering, for a second time, whether he was too late.  
  
"My son, do you promise that, as my heir, you will die for your brothers within both Families?"  
  
"I will only do what I have to," James said. "They are lower classified than I and I shan't waste my time on the lowly beings unless there is something in it for me."  
  
Voldemort smiled. "Exactly perfect. Do you swear, James, to be Lord Mordred the best to your knowing and give all your faith and loyalty and love?"  
  
"I solemnly swear that all my loyalty, faith, love, and power lies on the Dark side and its purposes."  
  
"Now hold out your left arm."  
  
* * *  
  
Looking over the shoulders of the outer circle Death Eaters, Lily saw James hold out his left arm. Voldemort grabbed the sleeve of the cloak and pulled roughly at it, tearing off the sleeve of his robes along with it. Voldemort bent over and grabbed James' wrist. He pressed his nose to his inner forearm and sniffed.   
  
"Nothing like the smell of new skin," he said softly, stroking his long, thin fingers across the tan skin. "You will all be mine, and this little spot will prove it. As you may put it - you belong to me, and to let everyone know you belong to me, you shall bear my Mark." Lily could see that James swallowed convulsively, and she wondered the reasoning for this. Voldemort continued. "James Potter - with all the Power inside of me, I now name you Lord Mordred, evil counsel for the Dark side. May your heart and soul always be bound to finding Power and never weaken to seek it."  
  
He made a motioning of his hand, reminding Lily of something Muggle religious folk did, and her heart rate increased by what seemed a hundred times. She knew that this meant he was about to make his move, meaning that it was her turn to act. She pulled out the wand she had taken from the one standing in front of her and pointed it at the center of the circle. She nodded at Sirius, who nodded back. He gulped a massive amount of air into his lungs, then shouted, "POTTER CANNOT JOIN US, MASTER - HE IS NOT LOYAL! I WILL DESTORY HIM AND RID YOU OF THE NUISANCE NOW!"  
  
At the same moment, Lily shot several spells every which way and pushed the two wizards in front of her down, causing a domino effect. She and Sirius, then stepped beside them and started their acting game.  
  
Some spells Lily had thrown around had set fire to some things in the room. Others had been hexes and Death Eaters were doubled over in pain and anger. The Dark Lord looked around the room, his eyes wide.  
  
"Who did this?" he shouted over the chaos, but no one answered. "Which one of you did this, so help me, I will flay you within an inch of your life and then I'll cut you into tiny pieces. WHO DID THIS?"  
  
James was still on his knees, but he was looking around wildly, Lily would have sworn that there was a certain amount of relief in them. Now was their chance.  
  
Sirius and Lily strode up to the Dark Lord, bowed lowly, and then rose.  
  
"Master," Sirius said, disguising his voice. "One of the curses came from MacFreen over there, sir. I was standing next to him. He told me that he knew for a fact that Potter - excuse me - Lord Mordred wouldn't become Family tonight, and I asked him how, and he wouldn't tell me. And when I saw him with his wand, I tried to stop him, but he wouldn't listen."  
  
"Imbeciles!" Voldemort screeched. "What do I have to do to get decent service around here? Take Lord Mordred back to his rooms and make sure he has everything he desires." He turned to James. "I apologize, my son, for this happening. I assure you that it will be straightened out and we will have you accepted into the Family in no time." He turned back to Sirius and Lily. "Take him. If one finger is laid upon him, so help me, I will assure you die slow and painful deaths. Go!"  
  
That was much more than both Sirius and Lily had expected. They had planned on getting on hands and knees and begging the Dark wizard to have James taken out of his sight. But the two of them got over their shock and bowed low again. Voldemort, impatience getting the better of him, pushed Sirius and Lily out of the way and walked past them to MacFreen.  
  
"Come, Lord Mordred," Sirius said, still disguising his voice.  
  
James got up and followed Sirius and Lily out of the hall and into the silence of the corridor. He followed silently until they turned and Lily placed his hands over James' mouth and Sirius picked him up and carried him, kicking and muffled screaming, into a library.  
  
"I'll have you both killed!" James shouted once they had let him go. "Father will certainly have your heads for this!"  
  
"It's worth it," Lily said, pulling off her mask.  
  
James gaped. He couldn't believe his eyes. Lily was standing right there in front of him and beside her, Sirius was pulling off his mask. He felt as if he could just curl in a ball and weep, but he was too taken aback to do anything but stare.  
  
"You," he whispered, staring at his best mate. "Was that you who did that?"  
  
"Well, it was all Lily's doing, really," Sirius replied. "I was only used because I could disguise my voice better."  
  
"You - you did that for me? Even after what I said to you every time I've had contact with you?" Lily nodded slowly. "I can't believe you - you...gods! I love you guys so much!" He stepped forward and pulled them both into an awkward hug and the three of them wept. "I love you," he sobbed. "I love you so much!" He kissed Sirius on both cheeks, then kissed both Lily's cheeks, and then he took just her in his arms and embraced her, reluctant to let go. He pressed his lips to hers and kissed softly, memorizing her lips and her taste all over again.  
  
"It really is you this time," he whispered to her. "It really is you."  
  
"James," Lily said, wiping the tears off his cheeks. "Let's go home."  
  
  
  
A/N: No! Only one or two more chapters left after this! I'm so sad. I'm kind of excited though, because I will get to start writing Falling into Grace - the next part of the Falling Series - which takes place in seventh year at Hogwarts.   
  
Quick question out there for all of you: I don't have my third book - Prisoner of Azkaban - with me (a friend borrowed it) and I need to know what happened to Peter's finger. I seem to remember that it said it was placed in a box and given to his mother. Now, did I just make that up, or did it really happen? Please let me know - I will be forever grateful to you!!! You can leave the answer in your review or email me the answer - k_wayment@hotmail.com --- THANKS!!!  
  
Thanks to all the reviewers. I'm trying to be good at that! At the end of this story, I'll give a tribute to you all who've stuck with me. And if you keep sticking with me, I promise I'll be better with thank-you's in Falling into Grace.  
  
Well, that's all I have to say. Happy Reading Wherever Your Little Eyes May Take You!  
  
~Lavender 


	10. Forgiven

A/N: A thousand apologies for this being - what? - a month after I posted the last chapter. I'm terrible sorry. I've been horribly busy. Besides, this is a long chapter. ENJOY!!!  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the HPverse, adn even if I did, James would belong to Lily, Sirius would belong to Icilyn, I wouldn't want to own Peter, and Remus would probably be owned by some pretty werewolf chick.... It's depressing, I know.... ;)  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Ten  
Forgiven  
  
  
  
Back at Hogwarts, things seemed to be on loose threads between the Marauders. James was in the hospital wing for malnutrition and some cuts and bruises he had gotten over the three months at his stay in the Dark House. Remus and Peter (once the situation was explained to him) seemed rather nervous to be around their friend, but they were ecstatic that he had come back and was all in one piece. James seemed somewhat awkward too, especially towards Lily and Sirius, and he was very quiet one afternoon after Peter and Remus had left the wing to go to their dormitories for curfew (Sirius and Lily had been able to stay with James in the hospital wing).   
  
"I want you guys to know that I - I'm sorry," he said ineptly.  
  
"For what?" Lily asked, sitting up in her bed and looking at James.   
  
"Well, I - I was such a jerk to you two," he said, uneasy yet again. "All you were trying to do was save my life and look out for me."  
  
"You did what you had to," Sirius said simply. "It wasn't a big deal. Besides, I would have dragged you out kicking and screaming." He gave James a grin.  
  
"And I - I really appreciate it. I really do. I mean, I can't believe what an asshole I was to be like that to you two. You were the only things that kept me sane - well, at least you were, Sirius - being away from Lily almost drove me insane."  
  
Lily smiled brightly. James stared at her beautiful face in the moonlight that was coming in through the window and he smiled back. He couldn't believe that she had done this for him. And he couldn't help thinking, for the millionth time, that he was so lucky to have her, and he would always feel lucky.  
  
"That's so sweet of you, Love," Lily replied. "But I'd rather you be sane, because I don't think I could deal with an lovesick insane James Potter. Then I don't have any clue what desperate measures I'd have to take to bring you back."  
  
"I know what they could be," James said slyly.  
  
"Look at you, back not even one week and you're already sexually harassing me," Lily chortled.  
  
"Ah, good times," Sirius sighed. "I'm sure as hell glad you're back, mate, 'cause we lost to Slytherin last Quidditch match and we're out of the running for the Cup - all because of you."  
  
"Well, thanks for putting that on my shoulders, buddy."  
  
"No problem, mate," Sirius relied, clapping James on the back. "So, what's the story that's going around as to why you're in the infirmary?"  
  
"If anybody asks, I'll make something up. Maybe I'll even tell them the truth - I mean, who's going to believe a story like that? The Dark Lord captured me and I was there for three months while a Death Eater took my place and then Lily and Sirius rescued me. I don't think that's a very believable theory."  
  
"Well, you know, sometimes reality is stranger than dreams," Sirius said. "But I think you should tell the truth, and then we'll see how far it goes."  
  
"No, don't fool the people's minds," Lily said. "Just tell them that you fell off your broom."  
  
"Or that you have an abusive girlfriend." Sirius touched his purple-greenish cheek from where Lily slapped him, and he smiled, his eyes twinkling.  
  
"How many times are you going to make me apologize for that, Siri? I said I was sorry, what more do you want?"  
  
"A million more apologies."  
  
"What'd you smack him for?" James asked.  
  
"Never you mind, dear," Lily replied, getting up and crossing to James' bed and kissing him on the cheek. "I'm going to go shower, love. I'll be back within an hour." And she left the room, leaving James and Sirius staring after her.  
  
"Amazing woman, that one is," Sirius said, still looking at the door. "She put together this whole plan to get you back - I had no part whatsoever in making any of it up. And she did feel horrible when she found out that Malfoy wasn't you. She said she was sick to her stomach for hours because you weren't there and it had been him all along."  
  
"I know she was upset. She has asked for forgiveness so many times since I've gotten back that I wish she would just forget it."  
  
"But she can't," Sirius said, the torchlight glistening in his eyes. "She can't forget that you said that she didn't care because she couldn't tell that it was Lucius Malfoy and not you."  
  
"Well, how about we forget it at the moment," James said, looking at his watch. "Because we've got more important things to think about."  
  
"Like what?"  
  
"Midnight, January seventeenth." He pulled a brightly wrapped package out from behind his pillow. "Happy birthday, mate."  
  
"What's this?"  
  
"Open it and see," James urged.  
  
Sirius tore off the paper happily and opened the medium-sized velvet box (all the while hoping that James hadn't gotten him a piece of jewelry), but looked up at his best friend when he found that the box was empty. "Is this one of your jokes?" he asked.  
  
"No, not at all, my friend," James replied. "Inside that very box is something so special that I could give it to none other than my best friend and brother. Take a close look."  
  
Sirius lowered his face into the box and his eye widened and he gasped. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel such a strong emotion that his eyes welled and his cheeks flushed. He looked back up at James.  
  
"Don't get all emotional on me now," James said. "While I was with Voldemort, he taught me some smashing magic. One of them was the Feltavoire Charm. The way the charm works is you capture an emotion you have and you can give it to something else. I captured all the love I have for you and made a replica of it and placed it into the box so you could know how much you mean to me." His cheeks flushed at showing another male his emotions. "Thank you for being there in my life, Sirius. I love you, man."  
  
"I love you too, mate," Sirius replied, getting up and hugging James tightly. "You are the best friend anyone could ask for and a better brother."  
  
James clapped him on the back. "You're stuck with me for life, you know."  
  
"I know, I know."  
  
They pulled away from each other and Sirius shut the box and set it aside. There was a moment of peaceful silence, and Sirius watched the torchlight and moonlight combine on the stone floor.  
  
"What was it like?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Huh?"  
  
"What was it like, being the Dark Lord's son? I mean, was it scary or was it cool?"  
  
"Well, it...was different," James replied. "I mean, I don't know how to explain it. He...he would tell me stories about his childhood, and his days after Hogwarts, and he even told me about how he came about being Lord Voldemort. After a while, he started showing affection in his own way, and giving me advice on things. Some of the things he gave me advice on was the best advice anyone's ever given me. And I thought to myself, if Voldemort is giving me this kind of good advice and sharing secrets about himself that no one else knows about, then he really must care." He looked away from his best friend. "And, by god, Sirius, I had the worst turn of emotions I've ever had in my life.... You have no idea. I started caring for him, as well. He was my father - but it was more of the father-son relationships that have been bitter. I was still bitter, but I loved this man, and he loved me...." He paused, thinking. Sirius could have sworn there was a welled tear in his eye. "And after a while, the relationship became wonderful. We'd share stories - well, more often than not, he knew everything about me. I was the son he never had, and he was the father I never had. Sirius, do you realize that I know more about this so-called stranger than I do about my own flesh and blood father?"  
  
Sirius was silent. The information was running through his head like a river. And he knew that James still loved this feared man known as the Dark Lord.  
  
"He will always be a father to me, whether I like it or not. But I can't help but think that I let him down by not being his heir - Lord Mordred. I can't help but think that I've ruined him for life. I - I just have mixed emotions about it, and I don't know why - I can't even comprehend why he turned the way he did. He would have been a wonderful father, he could have remained a wonderful husband, but his ambitions and search for vengeance got in the way. But I'll tell you one thing, Sirius," he sighed, looking back up at his dark-haired friend. "I'll tell you one thing I've learned from him, and that one thing is, even angels fall."  
  
No more was said. No explanations were needed. They sat in silence, staring off into the darkness of the infirmary. Sirius contemplated the things James had told him. Even angels fall. Innocent people are victimized by society, and it changes their lives forever. It was hard for Sirius to think of the Dark Lord as a good man, only victimized and searching for revenge, but, by the trust he had in James, he knew it was true, nothing more, nothing less. Voldemort didn't want universal power because he wanted the control - he wanted it because he felt he had to show all the people that he could do it, despite all the things he's been through. That was all there was to it.  
  
After a few more minutes of silence, Lily came back into the room, looking both tired and refreshed. He auburn hair was darkened to almost black from dampness, and she smelled of soap and cookies.  
  
"How was your shower, sweetie?" James asked.  
  
"Lovely," she replied, sitting down on the edge of James' bed. He sat up and laced his fingers through his.  
  
"I think I'm going to take a shower now," Sirius said. He patted James on the back, kissed Lily's cheek, and exited the wing.  
  
"You know," Lily said. "I'm glad you're back. Things were really at an all time low without you here. I mean, you were here, but it wasn't you, so things just got...." She saw the look on James' face. "Oh, god, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to bring it up again. I just - I-"  
  
"He's not better than I am, is he?" James asked.  
  
"What?" Lily asked sharply, wondering how James could think of such a thing. "If you're going to make me apologize for this again, James, I've already said I was sorry and I already feel guilty enough about all that has happened. Why don't you just give me a paper cut and pour lemon juice on it while you're at it?"  
  
It was James' turn to be sharp. "I don't ever want you to be sorry. It wasn't your fault, Lily, and I want you to know that. Never be sorry. Never." Lily looked into James' eyes and nodded. His voice softened. "Besides, I meant, was is he better than I am in some ways?"  
  
"You mean, what did I like about the not-you? Well, he had a lot of patience, and that was all his good qualities. That was it."  
  
"He wasn't better at anything else?" James asked, placing enough emphasis on the words that Lily knew what he meant right away, and she shook her head, smiling, thinking about how he had to protect his manhood.  
  
"Are you crazy? There was nothing good about being so sore the next day that I couldn't even sit down without wincing. Besides, he didn't do the cute little things you obliviously do."  
  
"Like what?" he asked, coloring slightly.  
  
"You always finger my hair and hum an ancient love tune before you fall asleep. I probably shouldn't have told you that, because you won't do it so obliviously anymore...."  
  
"I never knew I hummed," James said, knitting his eyebrows.  
  
"Usually Greensleeves." She smiled, and he leaned in and kissed her, happy once again, that he had her back. Nothing else would have mattered to him if she weren't around.   
  
They kissed, or rather snogged, trying to control their emotions - since it was a hospital wing, Lily had to remind him, when she smacked his hand away when he tried to place it on her breast. He reminded her that he had been celibate for three months, but chuckled anyway and kept his mouth on hers. Besides, he thought, he didn't want to be with her for the first time in months in a place like the infirmary. He kissed even deeper when a plan formed in his brain of a romantic evening they could have sometime in the near future....  
  
"I love you," he whispered in her ear. "My own personal saint - my own personal goddess."  
  
Lily smiled, her emerald eyes illuminated in the torchlight. "I love you, James Potter. I always have and I always will. I love you." She planted a kiss on his left cheek. "I love you." Right cheek. "I love you." On his nose. "I love you." His mouth.  
  
James laid back down and pulled Lily with him. She sighed contentedly and closed her eyes, falling into a deeper and more peaceful sleep than she had ever been in before, enveloped in the warmth of her lover's arms.  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius looked at the raven-haired woman standing before him. She had her hands on her shapely hips and a scowl on her face. At the moment, he was reminded greatly of the way Lily scolded him. He thought that maybe the two women should get together more often - they'd find they had a lot in common.  
  
"Icilyn, my love, it wasn't a matter of keeping a secret from you specifically, it was a secret to everyone else. You cannot accuse me of lying to you."  
  
"But you did."  
  
"I did not! Icilyn, if you're going to fight with me, then I'm going to leave right now, because I thought you should know. I didn't have to come here and tell you all this."  
  
The Head Girl looked down at her bare feet. "I know," she sighed. "I'm sorry, but I do get rather jealous, as you already know. It's just - well - "  
  
"Well, what?"  
  
"Well, it just that Lily is so beautiful, that I sometimes wonder if there is something going on between the two of you - or three of you, for that matter..."  
  
Sirius sighed heavily, trying to calm himself. "That is the stupidest thing I've ever heard you say in your entire life." Icilyn looked back up at him. "Icy, it's you that I love, not Lily, and certainly not James. I love them like no one could ever explain. We are bound together forever. But you" - he cupped her cheek - "are the love of my life, Icilyn, and I'm scared out of my wits. I've never felt this way about anyone else, and I don't know how to handle these feelings. I'm so scared that all I can do is live each day, pleading with Fate that all will go well. I imagine that this feeling is something like James would call free falling - going so fast into the unknown and I have nothing to grab onto and nothing will stand in the way. Icilyn, don't get jealous if I talk to other women, because I want you to know that it's you that I love, not the other woman. I -"  
  
Sirius would have finished his monologue, but he couldn't, for the Ravenclaw had stood on tiptoe and pressed her lips to his. They kissed for quite some time, until Icilyn pulled away and looked at him, a thought crossing her mind.  
  
"Sirius, what are we going to do next year? I'll be leaving Hogwarts, and you'll be in your last year."  
  
"Are you worried?" he asked softly.  
  
"Well, not exactly. What will happen to us? Will we go on with our relationship or be friends again, or what?"  
  
"Icy, do you even remember how we met? I mean, do you remember how we came about in this relationship?"  
  
"Well, I met you at your mother's party. I didn't know what I was doing there in Ireland with all those people in one gigantic castle. Now I believe in fate. Your mum didn't even know my mum, but she invited us to her party, and I thought it ridiculous that we were going, but then I saw you standing there by one of the smaller ponds on your grounds. I knew who you were, and I knew about your history with women, but I went over and talked to you anyway, even though I was afraid of how you would be. I thought you would be cocky and self-absorbed. But you weren't. And we talked a bit about Hogwarts and the professors and tedious things like that. After I went back home to Northumberland, I couldn't get my mind off of you. So I owled you, and that's how our contact started. Then we started meeting up in places. I never told anyone and I told you not to tell because I didn't want to be labeled because I was with you. Now, don't get me wrong - any girl would have been jealous out of their minds, but I didn't want to be labeled as someone you were using or someone that was using you. But then I found out how you really were and I fell head-over-heels, and here I am today. Feeling just like you are: scared out of my wits."  
  
Sirius smiled. He couldn't imagine living without this woman. "I love you," he whispered softly. "I want to spend the rest of my life with you, Icy, and I hope you feel the same way too."  
  
"I do feel the same, Siri."  
  
"No matter what you want to do after graduation, I'll wait for you to finish it. No matter where you go, I'll find you. Nothing could keep me from you. Nothing."  
  
Icilyn kissed her handsome lover again and then they laid down together in her bed, talking of their plans for the future with snog sessions in between.  
  
* * *  
  
The night of the full moon, James planned to take Lily on their romantic night. Although he terribly missed running around in his stag form with his friends, wrecking havoc and mayhem, he really wanted to spend some time with his girlfriend. So, he told Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot he wouldn't be joining them that night. Sirius was very disappointed, saying he had something special planned that they'd all get a kick out of, but James said he'd rather hear the details later.  
  
James and Lily strolled around the lake, watching the giant squid wave it's tentacles in the moonlight. They were hand-in-hand, discussing upcoming birthdays. Sirius' was two days ago - January the seventeenth; James' was on February twenty-ninth, and since that only came every four years, they had always celebrated it from eleven pm on February twenty-eighth until one am on March first. Peter's came next with April fourth and then Lily's on May sixteenth.  
  
James spread a blanket out on the sandy shore of the lake and sat down, pulling Lily with him. He conjured two mugs of steaming hot chocolate, as it was rather cold outside. They sipped hot chocolate, listening to the waters move in the gentle breeze, holding hands.  
  
Lily sighed in content. She looked at James and smiled. He was watching the trees - or one tree in particular.  
  
"James, love, if you want to go, go ahead," she said softly, her eye also on the Whomping Willow, knowing what he was thinking.  
  
"No, that's not it at all, love," whispered. "Look."  
  
He pointed to a spot just left of the flailing tree. Lily squinted to see what it was James was pointing at. The light of the moon was bright enough to show that there was a figure, cloaked in black, holding a long stick.  
  
"Who is that? That's not Sirius or Peter is it?" she asked.  
  
"No, not one of them, they haven't gone out yet - they usually go at midnight. Whoever it is, they must know that Remus is down there and they're trying to get a glimpse of him."  
  
"Who knows, beside the four of us and necessary teachers?"  
  
"No one...I don't know who it could be..." James' eyes widened. "Voldemort!" he gasped. "Voldemort knows about Remus, maybe he's trying to get him." He set down him half-empty mug and stood up hurriedly. Lily followed suit. "Lily, I want you to get back inside the castle and go straight to Dumbledore."  
  
"I can't leave you here to get kidnapped again!" Lily argued.  
  
"Don't worry about me, I'll be fine. Get inside the castle right now and go get Dumbledore, then tell Peter and Sirius not to come down."  
  
"But, James, I -"  
  
"Promise me you'll go inside the castle and get Dumbledore. Don't do something stupid. Promise me!"  
  
Lily looked at James' determined face and nodded in resignation. "I'll go get Dumbledore and tell Sirius and Peter not to come out."  
  
James swept Lily into a hug and kissed her cheek. "Godspeed, and stay away from trouble."  
  
Lily nodded and watched as James took off running after the figure, which had now long disappeared into the tunnel that Lily had heard the Marauders talk about that lead to the Shrieking Shack. She then turned and walked quickly up to the castle, wondering who or what the figure could be. Upon reaching the great oak doors, she pried them open and almost ran head-on in to a grinning Sirius.  
  
"Sirius!" she exclaimed, slightly breathless. "Don't go out there! There's someone or something out there, they just got into the tunnel. James went after him. He told me to go straight to Dumbledore. You guys better come along too."  
  
"Uh, Lily," Sirius said slowly. "Firstly, how are we going to explain to Dumbledore about how we knew someone would be going to see Remus? How would we explain about why we were on the grounds? Huh?"  
  
Lily gaped at how calm Sirius was.  
  
"Does it matter how you explain to the Headmaster how you knew your best friends were in grave danger?" Lily queried back angrily. "Tell him some bullshit story - I don't care, but I don't want two of my best friends to get hurt because you've suddenly become the logical one!"  
  
"Lils, relax," Sirius cooed.  
  
"Oh, no! I'm not relaxing here! I can't believe you'd say such a thing - I -"  
  
"Severus Snape is harmless to even a goat - he's not going to hurt a werewolf," Sirius interrupted.  
  
"Severus Snape?" Lily asked. "What in god's name is he doing out here, going into the tunnel?" Sirius just smirked. "What in the holy hell did you do, Sirius?"  
  
"Nothing at all, love," Sirius said simply. "I'm just getting our revenge."  
  
"Our revenge?"  
  
"You should be thankful, Lils. He needs to be taught a lesson, and this was the only way to let him see that he shouldn't mess with the Marauders or you. So, when he asked where we went after we put him in the broom shed, and I told him that if you press the knot on the Whomping Willow with a stick it will open to a tunnel that leads to a room full of the stuff we keep horded. But I told him that it could only be reached on the nights of a full moon, otherwise the tunnel leads to a gruesome death."  
  
"Sirius Black" - he noted she was too angry to use his full name for the second time in his life - "you did WHAT?" she shrieked. Her fists were balled in her seething rage and Sirius could swear her eyes glowed red. He took a step back, shadowed by her rage, afraid she'd resort to violent actions again. She only took a step forward. "You, Sirius Black, are going straight to Dumbledore - before I do. I'm going to find Peter to tell him not to come down." She took a ragged breath and pointed in the direction of the Headmaster's office. "Go."  
  
Sirius turned on his heel and stalked off towards the direction she was pointing, his shoulders hunched in anger. Lily made sure he reached the stone gargoyle and made sure he murmured the password - since he and the rest of the Marauders made it a point to memorize all the passwords that the Marauder's Map would show. She watched the gargoyle spring to life and move aside. He took one last anger-filled look at her, and disappeared, the gargoyle moving back into its position.  
  
She waited a minute to make sure Sirius wasn't going to just come back out, then turned towards the marble staircase and raced up, two at a time, to get to Peter.  
  
* * *  
  
James reached the Whomping Willow and looked over his shoulder to make sure Lily went back up to the castle. Seeing that she was gone, he picked up the branch that the culprit had used to get into the tunnel and ducked around the wildly whipping branches to press the knot at the base of the trunk. The branches froze and he had approximately thirty seconds to crawl in the hole.  
  
Once in the hole, he slid down the smooth-charmed rock and stood in the long tunnel. Up ahead, he could see a light from the wand of the intruder, who was now far ahead. If James didn't stop him quick, he'd get Remus, and there was no doubt that he was trying to get to Remus. But why they would want to, especially in his wolf form, he knew not.  
  
He raced down the tunnel, staying on his toes and trying to be quiet. The figure, still cloaked, was walking slowly, about twenty feet away from James, who had caught up to him. The figure was muttering something, which James caught a few words like 'trickery' and 'bastard'. The figure reached one pale hand and pulled off the hood of the black cloak. Instantly, James knew who the greasy-looking black hair belonged to.  
  
"Severus Snape," James growled, loud enough for the other wizard to hear.  
  
Snape whipped around and glared at James.  
  
"Nice meeting you here, Potter," he sneered, his usual ugly smirk appearing on his sallow face.  
  
"What are you doing here? Don't you know you're in grave danger?"  
  
"Ha! I'm in grave danger you say? Like I'm going to believe that. You just don't want me to see your treasures you've been hiding here."  
  
"What treasures? Who sent you here?"  
  
"Black did - I had to blackmail it out of him. Did you know he's been shagging your woman behind your back? I figured it out. And for my silence, he told me about this tunnel that led to all your possessions. He said I could have a look, and if I wanted anything, I could have it, as long as I kept my mouth shut."  
  
"Goddamn it, Sirius!" James cursed to the dirt ceiling. "Snape, it's a trap. Go back, right now, or you'll surely be killed."  
  
"I'll be killed?" Snape sneered. "I think you just don't want me to go through that door up there."  
  
"Snape, don't do it! Listen to me. There is something in there that will surely take your life or curse it greatly. Come back with me."  
  
"No. Why should I listen to you? You just don't want me to be in the limelight for anything."  
  
Snape turned and James grabbed the back of his cloak, forcing him Snape to face him once again. Snape glared at James, his black eyes glittering maliciously. He bared his yellow teeth, swung back his arm, and punched James on his right cheek. In retaliation, James hit Snape back, punching him in the eye.  
  
The battle went on, James being punched, kicked, and even scratched by Snape, and Snape having several livid bruises rising around his face. The two stepped back and regarded one another, both breathing heavily, fists still clenched in anger. Suddenly, Snape turned on his heel and raced to the door and yanked it open. James yelled for him to stop from entering, but the Slytherin didn't listen. He walked right into the room, there was a low growl sounding from something inhuman, and Snape screamed in an ear piercing pitch.  
  
James sprung forward, running as fast as he could towards the door. He went into the dark, dusty room to see Snape, unconscious on the floor with a brownish-gray, wolf-like animal sniffing at him, looking as if he was particularly interested in this morsel as his midnight snack.  
  
An alarm bell went off in James' head.   
  
"Remus, no!" he yelled hoarsely.  
  
The wolf looked up at him and growled. Oh, god, was the only thought that crossed James' mind as the wolf started to advance upon him. Instantly, he turned into a stag right as the wolf leapt on his chest.  
  
Down on the ground in his stag form, he kicked the wolf off with his powerful hind legs and scurried up. The wolf rebounded and sprung at him again, only to get kicked. James wished he had other useful weapons, like teeth and claws; his only weapon was his legs, which were only good for running away from a predator. James didn't give up, though, all the while thinking that he needed Sirius here to keep Remus in check - as that was his usual job when things got out of hand. But then again, he remembered as he received a blow on the back by a powerful swiping paw, Sirius was the one who got him into this mess.   
  
The wolf sprung up again, and, this time, James was ready for it. He met the attack with a counterblow at the same time, sending the wolf hurtling into the dirty, scratched up wall. He hit his head and lay motionless on the dust-covered ground.  
  
The first thing that crossed James' mind was panic. He thought that the blow had killed Remus, and he quickly changed out of his stag form and rushed over to Remus. To his relief, the wolf was breathing. He stroked the soft fuzz on the top of his head and Remus opened his wolf amber eyes. James saw recognition in the yellow eyes and the owner whimpered, as if apologizing.  
  
"It's all okay, mate," James said softly. He got up, pulled out his wand, and levitated Snape. "I'll see you in the morning."  
  
And out the conscious and unconscious went.  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius was shaking with fear as he stood on the moving staircase to go up to the Headmaster's quarters. He reached the large door and was about to knock, but was surprised when the Headmaster himself opened it, looking not surprised to see his pupil at all.  
  
"Mr. Black, to what do I owe this visit in the middle of the night?" he said benignly.  
  
"Headmaster Dumbledore, there is something I've done - something horrible, and who knows what might result of it."  
  
Dumbledore's expression changed. "Do come in, Sirius." He stepped back and let Sirius into the circular office room with portraits of past Headmasters and Headmistresses of Hogwarts, all of which were sleeping in their frames, as usual.  
  
"Sit," Dumbledore commanded, pointing at a leather armchair in front of his desk. He took his own chair behind his desk. "It must be something rather...crucial" - he put enough emphasis on the word that Sirius could tell he was avoiding a common pun - "if you are here at this time at night - wondering around the castle. Might I ask what it is, or should I assume that I have to wait for it?"  
  
"No, sir," Sirius said. "I'm not going to play games with you right now, but I am afraid that this is rather difficult to get out. Well, here goes." He took a deep breath and let it out loudly. "As you know, there has always been a large battle between Severus Snape and the group of people I hang around with."  
  
"Ah yes," the elder wizard said, nodding his head. "Slytherins against Gryffindors. Mister Snape's group against the Marauders, yes, I know."  
  
"Yeah, well, he'd been on our case for quite some time, and the last time I had an encounter with him, I falsely admitted to his suspicions of my being with Lily behind James' back and I told him to keep his mouth shut. He said he'd only keep his mouth shut for a price. Well, I wanted to get my revenge on that greasy-haired slimy git - excuse my description, Professor. I mean, there were numerous things he had done to make our lives hell and to hack us off. So I told him that during the full moon, if you pressed the knot on the Whomping Willow with a stick, the tree will stop moving and a tunnel will appear. If you follow that tunnel, there will be a room full of precious things we keep in there, and I told him he could have anything he wanted, as long as he kept his mouth shut about the relationship between Lily and me."  
  
"There is no relationship between you and Miss Evans, is there?" Dumbledore asked.  
  
"No, sir," Sirius said. "But what I've told you isn't the worst of it." Another deep breath, another loud exhale. "Sir, I witnessed Snape go out on the grounds a half hour ago. He's inside the tunnel, and from what I hear, James has gone after him."  
  
Sirius looked at Dumbledore with nervousness. The Headmaster's eyes were filled with anger, and the corners of his mouth twitched.  
  
"Mr. Black, I am fully aware that you and Remus are close friends, am I not correct?"  
  
"Yes, sir."  
  
"Then you must be aware that Remus is a werewolf and that he is occupying that very room you gave directions to."  
  
"I am aware, sir."  
  
"And you are aware that you are placing not only your archenemy's life in danger, but as well as Mr. Potter's and Mr. Lupin's?"  
  
"I - I - didn't mean -"  
  
Dumbledore's voice grew louder and more ominous. "Did you not mean to place your friends in danger? Did you not mean to let Remus become a murderer at the age of seventeen? Or were you merely thinking of yourself and didn't mean for yourself to become the murderer?"  
  
"I didn't realize - "  
  
"What? Didn't realize that other people were involved with this too? Didn't realize what people would have thought if you were sent to Azkaban with the charge of murder in the first degree? Mister Black, you are not the only person in this world, you should have thought of your decisions before you made them. As one of the brightest students to ever come to Hogwarts in my time and many years before that, I am deeply ashamed that you did not think." He paused and regarded his student, who was in shock at hearing Dumbledore raise his voice. "If I knew that the three involved were not fine, I'd have you formally apologize in front of the Ministry of Magic to all three of their parents for being an inconsiderate bastard. But, resources tell me all three are perfectly well, save for cuts and bruises. Therefore you will owe Mr. Snape a formal apology as well as Mr. Potter and Mr. Lupin. You will then serve detention three times a week for the rest of the year and I strongly urge you to resign your position on the Gryffindor Quidditch team. Do I make myself clear, Mr. Black?"  
  
Sirius swallowed extremely hard, unsure he was hearing correctly - he only had to apologize and serve detention? That couldn't be right...could it? What about being expelled? Snapping his wand in half?  
  
Dumbledore seemed to read his mind because he spoke up, answering the unasked question, "Under most circumstances, I would have expelled you in an instant and you'd be off on the Hogwarts express to see the Ministry of Magic to have your wand snapped and to be tried for a sentence in Azkaban. But I believe that the hardships you are going to have with both your friends and enemies is enough for your penance. Now go to the hospital wing and see your friend, as he should be arriving there any minute."  
  
Sirius nodded, and stood up. He would have said something to the Headmaster, but there were no words to say, so he left the office and made the hardest trip he ever had to make up to the infirmary.  
  
* * *  
  
James pounded on the locked door of the infirmary until a irritated-looking Madam Pomfrey came into view and opened up.  
  
"James Potter, of all people, I'd expect you'd have more respect for those who are sick and resting!" She took a good look at James, then at the still-unconscious Snape, who were both bruised and scratched badly. "Oh my Merlin in heaven! What on earth happened?"  
  
She backed away from the door and let James pass through, Snape floating eerily behind him.  
  
"A fight, ma'am," he replied. He then lowered his voice to a barely audible whisper. "He was trying to go into the tunnel under the Whomping Willow." Pomfrey looked taken aback at the fact that James knew about the tunnel, but said nothing. "I told him not to go into the tunnel, but he did anyway, and after a few punches later, he flew off into the tunnel and I followed. He saw" - he lowered his voice more until the matron had to lean her head in to hear him - "he saw Remus Lupin in his wolf form and fainted. I placed a temporary Stunning Spell on Remus and grabbed Snape and ran out of there as fast as I could."  
  
"My dear!" she exclaimed. "You've saved his life. Now let me look at the two of you. I'll see him first, since he still hasn't woke."   
  
She Summoned a bottle of Reviving Potion and poured it down Snape's throat, who immediately woke, spluttering. He seemed disoriented and looked around the room frantically. Madam Pomfrey pushed him back to a lying-down position, but he protested and waved his arms hysterically.  
  
"Mr. Snape!" Pomfrey cried. "You must hold still - I must check your vitals!"  
  
"I'm fine, woman!" he shouted, then realization hit him. "I - I apologize...."  
  
"No apology needed, dear," she said, now checking his vitals, making sure his pulse was up to standard. "Blessed be James Potter, who has saved many lives, now including yours."  
  
"Potter what?"  
  
"Saved you - saved your life from destruction and curse. Also saved Remus Lupin's life."  
  
"Lupin?"  
  
"He's the werewolf," James said softly.   
  
Snape whipped his head to the left and glared at the watching James.  
  
"Werewolf?" he growled. "Lupin the werewolf?"  
  
"And you won't breathe a word about it to anyone, Mr. Snape."  
  
All three heads whipped up this time, to see the Headmaster standing there, tall and an air of anger radiating off of him.  
  
"I will not allow you to tell anyone, and don't argue," he added, stopping Snape's spluttering. "Seven years ago when I became Headmaster, I vowed never to not let anyone into this school, as long as they had magic in them. That won't ever change as long as I'm around, and I'm not going to force anyone to leave because of his or her differences. I suggest, Mr. Snape, that you keep quiet about it. You will receive a Special Services Award to the school for your courage and ability to not begin rumors and such."  
  
James was highly shocked that Dumbledore, the Headmaster of Hogwarts, was buying Severus Snape's silence. But then again, Dumbledore had been at Hogwarts for a very long time, and he knew how to deal with Slytherins.... It still didn't seem right to James, but if it would keep the secret behind closed doors, he was happy with it.  
  
Madam Pomfrey gave Snape a Dreamless Sleep potion and Snape fell instantly asleep. She then began working on James.   
  
"You don't seem to have come off worse than he did - more scratches and bruises and - is that a bite mark?"  
  
James looked down at his left wrist and notices a small bite mark there. He searched his memory, then remembered that Remus' teach had sunk into his left foreleg while he was fighting him off. Remus was harm to neither animal nor human in animal form, so the bite wasn't contaminated with the Curse of the Werewolf.  
  
"Oh," James said, thinking quickly. "When Snape and I were fighting in the tunnel, I put my hand on his shoulder and he bit my wrist, that's all."  
  
She arched an eyebrow, looking at the bite mark again, as it didn't look like human teeth, but she nodded her head and gave James a goblet full of the purple Dreamless Sleep potion. And James fell peacefully and deeply to sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
Sirius walked into the dark infirmary. He had walked very slowly through the castle and then sat outside the door for several minutes - inhaling, exhaling, inhaling, and exhaling again. Finally, he opened the door and walked in, walking very slowly to the bed where he spotted a sleeping James instantly.  
  
He pulled up a chair next to the bed and sat, looking at his best friend, the only thought coming to his mind that this brave soul could have died for a stupid grudge he had for a Slytherin. That wasn't worth the life of this man that he loved so dearly that he couldn't stand the thought of losing him without tears coming to his eyes.   
  
He wiped the tears away and gently shook James' shoulder. James slowly opened his eyes and looked around, then his gaze landed on Sirius and Sirius received a tired, half-smile.  
  
"What brings you to this part of the castle, mate?" James asked softly.  
  
"What - what brings me to this part of the castle?" Sirius repeated, looking hard at James. "I - I came here to apologize for - what I did."  
  
"Apologize?" James asked.  
  
"James, are you okay? Have you forgotten what I did to get you in here?"  
  
"Sirius, you didn't do anything to put me in here. That was my own fault. It was my own choice to go in there after Snape and bring him out alive."  
  
"But why?"  
  
"Well, first of all, Remus would have felt horrible, knowing that he cursed or killed anyone - even if it was someone he hated with a passion." He saw the guilt in Sirius' eyes and took his hand in his, unashamed of what it might look like if someone saw them like that. "Sirius, what you did was wrong, I'll admit that. But you did it because you had enough love in your heart for the five of us that you felt that Snape should pay his debts of being a total ass to us. I completely understand your intentions."  
  
"And the second reason?"  
  
James looked at the curtains covering the bed next to his, where Snape was sleeping soundly. Then he stared off at the grey stone of the wall, not exactly seeing it.  
  
"I - well, we all know that he's destined to become a Death Eater," James said slowly, far away like. "And I felt that - well, that since I wasn't to be there with my fa - I mean, with the Dark Lord, then I should send someone just as smart that will actually worship him from the start without all the stories."  
  
"So, in other words, you sent Snape to be your replacement, hoping that Voldemort would forget about you?"  
  
"Well, sort of, I guess. I mean, that man has had so much happen to him, has had his life so torn apart that, just like you, he wants his revenge - only his want of revenge is bigger. Sirius, that man has my total respect, even though I don't agree with what he's doing. He is a good man at heart."  
  
Even angels fall, Sirius thought, remembering what James had said.  
  
"Snape will never replace you, you know that, right?" Sirius asked. James shrugged. "And what if Snape doesn't become a Death Eater like we all think he will?" James shrugged again, then yawned greatly. "You know what, you go to sleep. We'll talk about this in the morning."  
  
"Sleep in that bed, tonight mate. I'll vouch for you if you get yelled at."  
  
Sirius crawled into the bed next to James'. As they were both dozing off, Sirius thought of something.  
  
"So, I'm forgiven, right?" he asked, not opening his eyes.  
  
"You are forgiven, O Sinful One," James replied.  
  
Sirius smiled, then let the tide of sleep carry him far, far away....  
  
  
  
  
A/N: No!!! No, no no!!! The next chapter will be the last chapter! I'm so sad!   
  
I would really like to thank all my reviewers. I love you all. the last chapter will have a tribute to you all, I promise! Thank you for sticking with me, and I'm sorry it took so long!  
  
Happy Reading Wherever Your Little Eyes May Take You!!  
  
~Lavender 


	11. Planning

A/N: The _LAST_ chapter! Oh lordy! I'm so sad! Sorry that it's not as long as I'd have liked it to have been, but it ends on a happy note. I also wrote a poem for my readers, located in the final author's note (please read all of it too). Enjoy! Lavender  
  
Disclaimer: I do not own the HPVerse. All things/people/places/etc. that you know from the HP Series belongs to writing goddess JK Rowling. Everything you don't recognize (a measly few) belongs to me.  
  
  
  
Even Angels Fall  
Chapter Eleven  
Planning  
  
  
  
The Marauders, Lily, and Icilyn sat on the shores of the lake, sipping tea and eating the scones they had brought out with them. Final exams were over and the students had one week of leisure time to tie up loose ends, pack, and receive their end-of-year marks. They would then attend the leaving feast and board the Hogwarts Express.  
  
Sirius and Icilyn were talking in low tones while the other four were discussing the hilarious replays of the party the Gryffindors had the night before. There had been even more celebrating when Peter received an owl saying his sister had been born - named Katherine Leeda Pettigrew.  
  
"Do we have any plans for the summer?" Lily asked. "I mean, we can't not be together."  
  
"My mum's going to Russia," Remus answered. "She might drag me with, but she said she trusted me; she knows I'm responsible and I keep track of my cycles."  
  
"My dad's taking my to Japan for the whole summer so we can have bonding time," Peter contributed.  
  
"Visiting family and playing Quidditch," came James' answer.  
  
"We'll probably go on a camping trip and go see films and I'll get my driver's license and fight with Petunia...."  
  
"Gee, Lils, let's not be too enthusiastic now," Remus said. "Not looking forward to summer hols, eh? It won't be so bad."  
  
Lily eyed him skeptically, but nodded anyhow.  
  
Icilyn stood up and said goodbye to everyone, saying she had to make sure the whole of Ravenclaw House was in order, packing and whatnot; make sure no ruckus parties were destroying the wing.  
  
"So, what were you two talking about?" Remus asked as soon as Icilyn was on the castle steps.  
  
"We were discussing what will happen once she graduates," Sirius replied.  
  
"And?" Lily pressed on.  
  
"Well, we've decided that she'll go with her schooling in teaching and I'll try to get on the Irish Quidditch team like my dad or else I'll work in the Ministry."  
  
"And the relationship?" Remus asked.  
  
"We're going to just be friends for now, but we'll keep in contact with each other. When we're both settled with our jobs and our lives, we'll start the relationship again," Sirius informed. "We've decided it was a good plan."  
  
"It does sound like a wonderful idea," Lily said.  
  
"What about you and James?" Remus asked. "Have you any plans yet?"  
  
"Well sort of. After graduation, we're going to do pretty much the same thing," Lily informed.  
  
"The relationship will stay on, of course," James concluded. "But we'll go on in our schooling and training, then once we're settled and ready, we're going to look for a place to live and we'll get married."  
  
"What about children?"  
  
"Good god, we're only seventeen! It's too early to think about kids!" Lily exclaimed. "But, I'm sure we'll have three."  
  
"No four. Wait five. How about six?"  
  
"I'm not a machine, James. I can't just pop out one kid right after another."  
  
"We'll see about that," Sirius said. "I'll bet the two of you have ten kids."  
  
Lily shook her head. "I don't think so. I may like children, but I don't think I could put up with that many."  
  
There was peaceful silence for a few minutes before Sirius spoke up.  
  
"You know, my parents are taking me all over North America over summer hols. They said I could invite the four of you. Would you like to come?"  
  
"No, we'd rather stay on the British Isles, all by our lonesome staring at stone walls or our bed hangings," James answered. He grinned and Sirius grinned back, clapping his best friend on the back.  
  
"You goofy bastard, always making me laugh," he declared. "Let's go get some dinner, these scones aren't filling me up."  
  
The five teens got up from the sand and walked back up to the castle, chattering happily along the way.  
  
* * *  
  
That night, James sat on his bed poring over a piece of parchment he had just received. Sirius entered the room and eyed him.  
  
"I had been wondering where you were," he said. "What's that you got there?"  
  
James handed him the parchment nonchalantly, not looking at him, just staring off into space.  
  
  
  
James -   
  
Lord Mordred, my son. This it not a letter of threat - I am not angry, just disappointed, of your doings. You have chosen the wrong side, and I shall not chide you, for I respect your decisions, even if they are the wrong ones even after all we discussed.  
  
I was informed by my eyes at Hogwarts of what you did for Severus Snape. I am proud of your gallantry - it takes a strong man to save a loved one, but it takes an even stronger man to save an enemy.  
  
Take care of yourself, my son. I will come back for you again to see if you've changed your mind - you know I will. Until then, keep up your good works - they may be for the wrong side, but they make me proud. Remember, I've always got an eye out.  
  
  
Your Father,  
Lord Voldemort  
  
  
  
Sirius looked up at James, who finally returned his gaze.  
  
"This man's not going to give up, is he?" James shook his head. "I thank whatever gods may be out there that you're still alive."  
  
"Me too." He looked out the window and onto the Quidditch pitch in the distance. "So we lost, eh?"  
  
"What?"  
  
"Lost to Slytherin?"  
  
"I - I don't - "  
  
"There's this game called Quidditch, where each House competes against the others. I don't know if you've ever heard of it, but you're one hell of a Keeper."  
  
Sirius smiled, catching on. "I think I know what game you're talking about. I may be one hell of a Keeper, but there is only one Chaser that can almost put the Quaffle past me - and that's you, my friend."  
  
"What do you say - are you up to a little game?" James asked.  
  
"At this time of night?"  
  
"Sure, we'll get everyone and play in the buff."  
  
"Even Lily?"  
  
"Especially Lily."  
  
The two best friends laughed at the joke and exited the room, the letter from the Dark Lord lying forgotten on James' bed. They went to the common room and told Remus and Peter of their idea.  
  
"Quidditch nude?" Lily said, overhearing from where she was she was sketching a picture of the Forbidden Forest. "Did you know it's been raining out there?"  
  
"That'll make it even more fun." Remus answered.  
  
"I have to witness this."  
  
"What?" Sirius queried. "Lils, I'm shocked! You want to break the rules to go watch us suffer while you could be in here, warm and dry, studying for next year?"  
  
"Ha ha, very funny, Siri. Let's go."  
  
"You're not serious?" Peter asked.  
  
"No - he is," she answered, pointing to Sirius, who rolled his eyes at the pun. "I truly want to go watch."  
  
"Umm...okay..." James said. "Let's go, I guess."  
  
The Marauders left Gryffindor Tower and walked through the castle halls, occasionally throwing glances at their female friend, making sure she wasn't pulling some prank. She kept her face straight, and when she saw them looking at her, she arched an eyebrow and inhabited a smirk on her pretty pink lips.  
  
"Someone's coming," Remus hissed once they reached the first floor. "Ten yards off. Hide!"   
  
James grabbed Lily's arm and pulled her into the entrance hall closet. Sirius jumped behind a statue of Helga Hufflepuff, while Peter and Remus hid in the shadows by the windows.  
  
Inside the closet, James pulled Lily to him and held her close, kissing her neck.  
  
"While you're getting fresh, might I remind you that there was someone coming and that Sirius and them are out there?"  
  
"That just makes it more exciting," James said in between kisses. "Might I remind you that I haven't been with you properly since October?"  
  
"But whose fault is that?" Lily asked, now arching into the warm lips.  
  
Lily raised her head and kissed him. The door flew open and James and Lily turned and stared at the wand light shining at them, like deer caught in headlights. It must have been a sight to the intruder - James' hand was resting on Lily's left hip, her hand on his neck, his other on the small of her back, and her other in his hair. Their hands immediately dropped to their sides and they stared at the figures walking towards them.  
  
"What's going on in here?" someone sneered.  
  
"Sirius!" James exclaimed. "You scared me half to death!"  
  
"Well, if you and Lily weren't snogging in the closet, you wouldn't have been so - er - rudely interrupted."  
  
"Icilyn?" Lily asked now. "Is that you?"  
  
"Yeah," the Head Girl replied, now turning off her wand light. "I'm on patrol duty. Sirius gave me the briefings of what your plans are. Sounds...interesting."  
  
"I know," Lily replied. "It's something they haven't pulled before, so I wanted to be a witness."  
  
"A witness, eh?" Icilyn asked, clearly amused. "I'd definitely like to join you being a witness."  
  
"Seriously?" Sirius asked.  
  
"Absolutely. Let's go."  
  
Then the six were sneaking out onto the Quidditch pitch in the waxing moonlight. The grass already had a layer of shimmering dew and the air smelled of blossoms. They stopped at the broom shed and grabbed their brooms. Both Lily and Icilyn grabbed school brooms and turned around.  
  
"Wait, what are you doing?" Sirius asked.   
  
"Well," Lily said, "Icy and I were talking while we were walking down here..."  
  
"...And we decided that we want to play too," Icilyn finished.   
  
"Are you joking?" Remus asked.  
  
"No," Lily said simply, shrugging her shoulders elegantly. "It's only fair that we play too. But..."  
  
"...We have some rules for you to abide by," Icilyn said. "First, this game will be like Strip Poker. For each goal that is scored, the opposing team has to take off an article of clothing."  
  
"And second, we shall not be getting completely naked - as that would make some of us uncomfortable. So, the stripping stops at the knickers - and bra for us."  
  
"Damn," Sirius muttered teasingly, receiving a laugh from the others.  
  
"Let's play."  
  
The six mounted their brooms and flew the rest of the way to the Quidditch pitch, only stopping to grab a quaffle from the changing room storages.   
  
Three minutes into the game, Sirius was proving to be a wonderful Keeper - of course, he knew that if he let the quaffle go through, he'd have to remove an article of clothing; and if he didn't let the ball go through, the girls, who were going against all four boys, would have to remove one of their articles of clothing.  
  
An hour later, the six had their feet on the ground once again and they were putting on all their clothing. The four Marauders had lost the game - they were first to end up in their underwear. The girls still had on their skirts and stockings and braziers. When they had taken off their blouses - the third thing that went - the men had become distracted. Lily and Icilyn did have to admit, though, that were provoking the distractions in ways most wouldn't have imagined, as innocent as they were, and they had won.  
  
"Man, I still can't believe you guys won," Sirius sulked for the hundredth time on their way up to the castle. "That just - it - well -"  
  
"You can just tell us that it makes you feel less of a man," Icilyn scoffed.  
  
"Well, now that you mention it, I do rather feel kind of - er - womanly now that you beat us."  
  
"Hey, there's nothing wrong with being a woman," Lily mock-scolded. "We're women and we beat you. Face it - women kick ass."  
  
"Well maybe if you wouldn't have been distracting us...." James said slyly.  
  
"Distracting you?" Lily hit James playfully. "You men only have one thing on your minds - "  
  
"Quidditch?" Remus interjected. Lily raised an eyebrow.  
  
"No. You only have sex on your minds. Did you see Icy and me being distracted by you four? I don't think so."  
  
"Battle of the Sexes begins once again," Remus muttered to Peter - both usually stayed out of these arguments.  
  
"You know what?" Icilyn interrupted. "I think I'm going to steal Siri away from you four. I hope you don't mind; and do forgive me if you do."  
  
Icilyn took Sirius by the hand and made a left turn off towards the Forbidden Forest.  
  
"You show her who's a real man, mate!" Remus called after his retreating back. Sirius turned around and grinned while James gave him two thumbs-up. Then the four continued on up to the castle and, very silently, up to Gryffindor Tower, where they parted for the night.  
  
* * *  
  
The leaving feast was held the night before they were to get onto the Hogwarts Express. There was much food and much rejoicing. Gryffindor had won the House Cup, but only barely, for Slytherin had won the Quidditch Cup. Dumbledore gave his leaving speech and raised his glass for a toast to the summer holiday. Professor McGonagall wiped tears from her eyes as well as a few other teachers.  
  
Goodbyes were said to friends and newly graduated students, wishing them luck in their lives. There was much chatting about the year and what each of them would be doing over their holiday and the year ahead of them. Most students felt sad to leave their school but excited to see their families. Sirius and Icilyn's case seemed one of the more sadder ones. Icilyn would be going off to her college in only heaven knew where - the campus frequently relocated itself every month or so. And Sirius would be staying at Hogwarts. They knew that they wanted to keep in contact, but until they were settled, they'd have to break off their great relationship - one that was on the same level as James and Lily's - and find each other later in life - if they ever did.  
  
The students went to bed early, knowing that they had to get up early to catch the train. Lily kissed her friends goodnight and went to write in her journal before going into a slumber that left her restless.  
  
* * *  
  
"Lily!" someone yelled, shaking the redhead's shoulder.  
  
Lily opened her eyes to see Drea Aldost, a dorm mate, standing over her.  
  
"What's the matter, Lily?" she asked. "Are you alright?"  
  
Lily felt the beads of sweat on her forehead and neck and shivered.  
  
"I - I -"  
  
"You were screaming like a Banshee," Melissa Morgan said, her eyes wide.  
  
"I - I" - she looked around and took a deep breath - "I need to see James."  
  
"You can't go in their dormitory - it's after two and we're to be up in a few hours to catch the train."  
  
"I'll be fine," Lily replied, getting up and hastily pulling on a dressing gown. "Just go back to bed." Then as an afterthought, "Thanks for worrying about me."  
  
"Anytime," Drea replied, exhausted. All the girls crawled into their beds and Lily slipped quietly out of her dorm, through the common room, and into the boys' dorm. She pulled back James' hangings and shook his shoulder gently to wake him.  
  
He opened his eyes and looked questioningly at her.  
  
"I had a nightmare," Lily whispered, smiling guiltily realizing that she always woke James when she had a nightmare - not that he cared that she woke him anyway, she reminded herself.   
  
James smiled back, guessing how she felt. Lily crawled into the warm covers and sighed as her lover wrapped her arms around her. This was so wonderful to her - the feeling of James' warmth next to her, gentle and comforting, his arm lying lackadaisically on her side, her head pillowing against his chest. Lily closed her eyes knowing that, soon, all her fears would be gone.  
  
"Tell me about your nightmare," James whispered.  
  
Lily opened her eyes again and stared into the darkness enveloping the two.  
  
"It was by far the worst one I've ever had. And I mean ever," she replied.  
  
"What happened? Sometimes it helps to get it out."  
  
Lily opened her mouth to recount her horrid dream, but James' hangings flew back and Messieurs Moony, Wormtail, and Padfoot were standing at the side of the bed, looking slightly cross at being awakened.  
  
"Another bad dream?" Remus asked Lily. She nodded. "I heard screaming. Sensitive ears, you know."  
  
The three sat on James' bed and looked at Lily, who didn't move from her spot in James' arms.  
  
"Do you want to tell us?" Sirius asked.  
  
Lily shrugged. "It was so real."  
  
"I thought we were finished with prophecies a year ago," Peter said. "Why more?"  
  
Lily shrugged again. "This was in the near future though. It was probably my imagination running away with me - I mean, I did eat a lot of sweets at the feast."  
  
"Well, what was it?"  
  
"I was running down the halls of the castle. I was looking for someone or something. Maybe I was running away from something too, but my biggest objective was looking for safety. I finally couldn't run anymore and collapsed. Voldemort came and told me that I'd ruined Mordred's bloodline, meaning I'd ruined his as well. He then pointed his wand at my abdomen and said an incantation and red light shot out of his wand right at my lower abdomen. It felt like my womb was being torn to pieces, and I knew that he was killing my baby, forcing my body to abort."  
  
"Abort? Murdering a fetus?" James pondered.  
  
"Because you had created it and it would be your heir - and I - the mother - was only a worthless Mudblood, ruining the baby's blood."  
  
"I don't understand, though," Sirius said.  
  
"It was only a dream," Lily said simply. "I'm sorry I woke you all up with something as ridiculous as this."  
  
"Wait - you're not pregnant, are you?" Sirius asked.  
  
The four boys turned intent gazes on her. Her eyes widened.  
  
"Of course not!" she exclaimed, half-hysterically. "If I was, I'd tell you. Besides, we've taken care of things like that, James and I have."  
  
The Marauders all looked greatly relieved. Lily thought that it was the sweetest thing that they all took care of her and fussed over her. She hadn't liked it last year and the years before that, but this year, she knew they all took care of one another. They protected her, which showed greatly because of the four-to-one ratio, and she was like their Mum Away From Mum - certainly a full-time job, in Lily's opinion.  
  
The three Marauders got up and kissed Lily on the cheek, wishing her a goodnight. They closed the hangings and went into their own beds. Soon, all five teenagers were breathing heavily with sleep.  
  
* * *  
  
"James, would you hurry! The carriages are leaving," Lily called up the stone steps where James and the other Marauders were pulling their last prank of the year. This one consisted of charmed buckets of water and, of course, Slytherins. The four had charmed the buckets to dump water on the Slytherins as they were exiting through the great oak doors.  
  
"Ready?" James asked. He received four nods and they walked off towards the horseless carriages, smothering giggles as they heard yells from the castle.  
  
The Marauders and Prongs' Manipulative got into a carriage and they were off towards Hogsmeade Station where they would board the scarlet steam engine and set off to London, where they would meet their families and spend the summer holiday in their homes.  
  
But for Lily, she was not going home - not really. Hogwarts was her home now and had been since her first day at the castle. She felt she belonged in the magical world more than she did in the Muggle word - and no one else understood how she could feel as if she was leaving home instead of going home.  
  
The train was boarded and it inched away from the platform. Sirius and James were playing wizard chess while Remus read and Peter snoozed, his head leaning against the window. Lily and Icilyn, who had come into their compartment not long after the train set off, were talking about Muggle and wizard fashion - a conversation Lily didn't get herself into much often. She rather enjoyed explaining what bellbottoms were, and the raven-haired girl giggled when the redhead explained platform shoes.  
  
The time flew and soon they were pouring out of the train and onto platform nine and three-quarters. James helped Lily place her trunk onto a cart and they were off towards the barrier that would lead them to the Muggle platform.  
  
Sirius hugged and kissed Lily, hugged James in a rough, manly way, and clapped Remus and Peter on their backs and told them he'd owl them. He then went off with Icilyn to say goodbye properly. The four remaining walked through the barrier and slid sideways into the Muggle world.  
  
They walked towards the car park where Lily saw her mother, father, and sister standing by the car. She waved to them to let them know she noticed them, but stopped to say goodbye to her friends before they were off to the Floo Station. She hugged and kissed Peter and Remus, telling them she'd definitely owl and then she turned to James.  
  
"Don't do anything stupid over the summer, because I won't be there to rescue you," she scolded teasingly, taking him into her arms.  
  
"But you would come to my rescue if you could, wouldn't you?" James asked, holding her close.  
  
"Absolutely."  
  
"Then I just might need rescuing over the summer." He held her at arms length and then leaned in to kiss Lily, who accepted happily. Once they pulled away, he held her at arms length once more. "I never did thank you," he said.  
  
"You don't have to."  
  
"No; I do. If you hadn't have been so determined, I wouldn't be here today - I'd be off somewhere with my fa - with the Dark Lord."  
  
"James, I never thanked you either," Lily commented.  
  
"You didn't have to - don't have to."  
  
"Then we're even," Lily said.  
  
James smiled. He kissed his girlfriend once again and hugged her tightly, telling her he'd owl. And then he turned and started off towards the Floo Station with Peter and Remus. Lily turned back to her parents and sister and started off towards them, who greeted her, her sister with less enthusiasm than her parents. Petunia was stiff with her hug and snootily accepted the kiss that Lily planted on her cheek.  
  
"So," Thomas Evans said once they were on their way back to the place Lily called her home-away-from-home. "Anything exciting and adventurous happen over the year?"  
  
"Mm.... No. No, not really," Lily answered, winking at a scowling Petunia.  
  
Lily couldn't help but think this was going to be an interesting summer. What with Petunia's plan of getting married and leaving the house, how could it not be? At least she had holiday on the North American continent to look forward to.  
  
She smiled in anticipation. This was going to be the best summer ever.  
  
  
  
A/N:   
  
To my Readers  
  
If I placed my thank-yous into words, it'd be a thousand pages long  
You keep me going, keep me writing, and I've made it this long!  
Motivation, praises, and constructive criticism greatly helped along the way  
And I think about your reviews everyday  
  
You've kept the Marauders living -  
A million thanks they're also giving  
For taking interest in their lives and dreams  
Through laughter and tears and even screams!  
  
Thanks and thanks again  
I'll always remember how fun it's been;  
While writing the next part,  
I'll keep you all in mind and in heart;  
You've done so much for me, so now what do I do?  
Hmm, that's an easy one...thank you and you and you and you and YOU!!!  
  
  
  
Those who have reviewed Even Angels Fall at some point or another or have been faithfully with me from beginning to end:  
  
~*Emma*Potter*~; ~*~me~*~; ~JessicaP~; Amy; Anty & Sass; Argentum Lupus; Aria; Aurora Riddle; Baby Angel; Bella Ireland; CadahLien; Cass; Christi Morelei; Christly; Danielle; darkdevil4eva1989; Darling Lily Evans; DreamCloud53; Emilily; Fire Lizid; goddess123; hevensevilangel; (the real) Icilyn; ilovoliverwood; imlosnoches; Jessica-Canada; KaT; kool-aid; Kourtnie; lady who loves to read; Lauren; lilz; lunita; Malfoy Princess; MarieMaia; Martine; Min Hee Ha; Moon Dust; mystic_blue17; Navamos; Phoenixheart; princess-of-mirkwood; Princess Osiris; queen of the elfs; Sabre Gurl; Sammi; SaRcAsTiCbAbE; Satans Little Princess; Sierra*Sitruc; Sineadluv; Sirius_is_HOT; Slinkimalinki; Smile; Soccer Girl 2005; supastr; Tami; thistlemeg; UnforgivenChild; waddup?  
  
***THANK YOU ALL!!!!***  
  
  
If you would like to receive news of when the next part of the trilogy will be coming out, please leave me your email address or email me and I will be more than happy to inform you of upcomings. As you are currently reading this, I've got several pages of the first chapter finished. I've been playing around with viewpoints and activities. I've pretty much decided that it will be in the third person again, though I did start one in first person and I really like that one too. We'll see.  
  
Anyway, my e-address is k_wayment@hotmail.com - you can reach me there anytime. I'm always up for chatting - I don't bite, promise.  
  
  
Happy Reading Wherever Your Little Eyes May Take You!  
  
~Lavender  
  
  
***COMING SOON***   
  
Killing two birds with one stone never had so much meaning until Voldemort used the ultimate weapon against James Potter and Sirius Black: Lily Evans  
  
Falling into Grace -- the third part of the Falling Trilogy   
  
  
* * * * * * * * * *   
  
Read? Review! All comments are welcome! (With the site being down and you don't feel that the review board will work, drop me a line via e-owl!) 


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